RAF Kenley
 

Wondering if anyone had any old pics and memories of Kenley through the years. There are a few on websites but its always nicer to hear the stories on here.

Even though I lived just up the road, I only really experienced the place in the early 90's with 615VGS on what seemed like endless summer days which turned into the deserted and ever so slightly eerie dusk once everything had been packed up when we imagined what it must have been like over the years.

Did any other Ppruners fly with 615? Or for that matter fly anything else a bit noisier than gliders up there?

I await with interest!

I remember going to Kenley around 1957 and having a wander round. Can't remember there being any security. There were quite a few piston Provosts there.

See Peter Flint's book RAF Kenley ISBN 0 86138 036 3. OF 1965. Lived near Kenley during the war (Old Lodge Lane), exciting times for a young lad (aged 4 during the B.of B.) and in mid 1944 when we seemed to get every V1 destined for Croydon flying over us. Cadet Field Days during the 1950s' for flying in the Oxfords and Ansons of the Comms. Sqn.. Meteor went "off the end" of the main runway sometime in the early 1950s' (?) though why it was at Kenley can't say.

A school friend of mine in the mid-50s lived in Whyteleafe Hill, just off the airfield, so when I visited him we'd often wander though the woods and watch the goings on.

In June, 1958, May, 1959 and June, 1964 I visited Kenley as an ATC Cadet for Surrey Wing parades.

In the early 60s, again with the ATC, and when my wife-to-be was in the WJAC we both went gliding at Kenley. Unfortunately I have no pictures..

Good to see from Google Earth that the place appears to be intact. Does any flying take place there nowadays?

Kenley
 

Check Surrey Hills Gliding Club. MoD have been trying to break up the airfield, build houses etc., but Local Auth have stomped on that, so Kenley looks safe for a few more years. Check that site as launches most every day when wx ok:ok:

My dad was based at Kenley in the late 50's - I went to Kenley County Primary School (the best school in the whole world then), and we lived in MQs at Foxon Close - which were still under construction then.

There were still a number of WWII wrecks around the perimeter then, and I remember playing in the cockpit of one - I think it was a Hurricane. ISTR there was the hulk of a larger aircraft there, maybe a Wellington. We also found quite a lot of live ammo in the grass and surrounding woods, which we did very dangerous things with.

Halcyon days....

I also used to play on Kenley in the 50's and remember either a Hurricane or Spitfire as referred to by reynolds no. I remember the large wreck as a Lanc but I may be wrong - I know you could get inside it and manually operate the rudders or elevators.
My mother and 4 older siblings lived in Caterham during the B of B (dad in the army) and the family's house was destroyed during a raid on Kenley. My mother only just got into the Anderson before the house was hit, and I often think, if she hadnt I wouldnt be here now (check my age!). By the time the V1 s arrived aw ditor they had been evacuated to the West Country

As an air cadet I was a regular at Kenley from August to November 1969 recording 35 flights in the two resident Kirby Cadet Mark IIIs (XA300/301); memory says 615GS also had a Slingsby T21 as well. Three other memories:-

1. On Battle of Britain day when on base leg seeing a Vulcan inbound to Biggin below me (albeit a fair away to the South);

2. Being given the keys to one of the Land Rover 'Yellow Perils'' and being told during a rainy day 'go and play'

3. Freezing when cycling up to Kenley from Merstham in November...

Kenley memories
 

Here are a few pictures to bring back some memories..

The dispersal area with Officers' Mess to the left of the picture.
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x...hercircuit.jpg

The remains of the Lincoln.
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x...vroLincoln.jpg

Aerial view of the Control Tower and end of runway 03.
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x...thecircuit.jpg

The last Kenley Spitfire!
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x...ndSpitfire.jpg

Enjoy.

frelon - great pickies - thanks! Any more to post?

If you do a google search on videos with 'Kenley Spitfire' there's some great bw warmtime footage of Spits and Hurris at kenley. Sound's a bit iffy but some great footage none the less..........

Here's one taken in 1968. A few more houses in undershoot of R/W 03 than the previous pictures, although runway numbers have now been removed. Public footpath can be clearly seen straight across the airfiled.

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...enleyviewa.jpg

This next one was taken on approach to 03 showing how close the houses were to the threshold. Also shows how runway sloped and the chalk pit off the end across the valley. Picture taken from cockpit of Beagle Pup.

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...eyfrompupa.jpg

Great pics. Often walk along northwestern part of the peri track (top of of Frans 744's first pic). Think most of the dispersals evident are now grassed over? The blast pens are still there, but the only concrete I can recall are top left of the airfield and top right corner adjacent to the 21 threshold where the VGS usually camp out when launching to the south.

My walk takes me across the valley and round the chalk pit when I can stop and watch the gliding for a bit longer.

Presume the "public footpath" (use it at your peril!), now a tatty strip of concrete or tarmac, is where the public road ran before the site became the airfield Douglas Bader would recall.

They now have some crowd control barriers set up in the vicinity of the runway thresholds in an attempt to stop wayward civilians wandering onto the live site while gliding is taking place. If it works the requirement to fence of the central grass won't be necessary.

Hi everyone,
I have read with great interest the comments about RAF Kenley. I did my National Service there from 1956 to 1958.
While I am not a pilot, I was however a fireman there and spent many days on duty in a crash tender by dispersal watching the cadets do their ‘circuits and bumps’.

The only old wreck that was on the airfield during that time was an old lanc that we used for fire practice and fire displays. The others must have been added after 1958

We had a Home Command fire competition there in 1957? as I remember.
The other RAF stations sent teams as well as the Navy and also Americans based in England then.

I was also there during the time that “HEATHROW DIRECTOR” was there as an ATC Cadet.
I was one of the fireman sent around the cadets hut to replenish the fire extinguishers that they had gleefully set off. Do you remember that Heathrow Director? :)

What did your father do at Kenley reynoldsno1? Maybe I knew him

It was nice to see the pics old airfield and dispersal area again albeit only from the air.
No crash tenders to be seen though, as the Fire Section personnel and equipment were moved to Biggin Hill in early 1968 . One day before I was demobbed actually. So I spent my last night alone in the barracks. Those two years I spent there however are fond memories.
I am 72 now (celebrated my 70th with a sky jump) and have tried to contact old mates from there but have only been able to find one. He now lives in Czechoslovakia and I am in Canada.
I would welcome any e-mails about the old place….Went there last in 1983 with my Canadian wife. We didn’t see anything though as all the old place was gone.

Well, thanks for the opportunity to chat guys

I joined 615VGS Kenley in 1975 and have never left, and I took Command of the VGS in 2005. As you can imagine I have developed an extensive knowledge of the the Airfield since and numerous photos.

I would just like to correct an earlier post regarding the RAF disposing of the site, this has never been on the agenda as Kenley is by deed of an air ministry act of 1932 one of the most secure (from a tenure point of view) airfield the RAF operate from, as the lease with the City of London who own about 80% of the freehold is free and un-ending all the time the the RAF continue its use. ( I would like to see someone try to right a clause like that now!)

Not only that, if the RAF were to terminate its use the land would revert to common land which you cant build on without an act of parliament changing its status, so its well down any development list behind green fields, brown fields, green belt and national parks!

The biggest threat to aviation (gliding) ceasing at Kenley is the high risk of an accident caused by wayward pedestrians walking about all over the site in front of landing gliders and the winch believing it to be be common land and their right.

In 2006 the Council said we could erect a 4ft high fence around the outer edge of the perimiter under permitted development rules, so the fence was purchased and contractors appointed, on the week they started work the Council withdrew the permitted development rights and a planning application was submitted and subsequently refused.

A second appliaction for a different style of fence was submitted in 2008 but that has also been refused this year

Also in 2008 the HSE said we need a fence to continue operating

We are currently trialing pedestrian barriers at the high risk areas and hopefully these will be the final solution that satisfies all concerned.

Meanwhile the MOD are persuing the Council to recover the cost of the first fence (£110k ish) which sits in my compound

If anyone has any specific questions ask away I'll try to help, if I dont know I can usually find someone who does, since I've seen it from most angles in 35 years and 10,000 launches!

<<to replenish the fire extinguishers that they had gleefully set off. Do you remember that Heathrow Director? >>

What, me?? Nah... you mistook someone else for me!!!

RAF Kenley
 

Hmmn....Well...OK....Maybe I'll take it with a grain of salt ;)

Hope you are well amd have a nice day
John

Kenley Pics(Farns)
 

Would the initials be KF perchance.
The houses on the approach (Gauntlet Cres) (married patch) were in fact built after powered flying ceased,and therefore of little consequence to operations, but provided a welcome boost to potential female contacts for lonely winch drivers !!!
I think these have now gone to be replaced by an expensive development.
In the 60/70's Kenley had stayed in its wartime state with all its messes,and those buildings that survived the Aug 18th (1940) raid.
615 GS eventually moved into the metal T2 hangar,and then when the RAF left, into the Belfast with the old control tower as its HQ.
So there we were, our own Battle of Britain airfield to ourselves,and in the last of the famous buildings.
With the end of the "messes" we used to frequent the "Roundabout Cafe" in Caterham Valley,and those that were old enough the "Wattenden Arms".
Having a technical civil servant (Fl Lt George Nunn) as our CO, non flying days were spent (when not sorting our various personal transport)constructing a variety of wheeled machines for "glider retrieve,cable towing,and a control caravan with a proper lights system, wind generator",(and tea facilities) (no bats at Kenley)
615 had formed out of several relocated schools including Detling,and was proud to carry on the traditional number from the wartime "County of Surrey" squadron.
Like Farns and Frelon the stories that surround such a historic location are legion,but i always regret not being around when the spitfire was on the dump (after the Reach for the sky film)
When i joined the local 450 squadron (age 12) the hulk had gone,although we still had a merlin engine on a stand in our store near the small arms range.
Anyway thats enough for now must keep some good stories for later.
Pobjoy

POBJOY
Yes the initials are KF and Frelon is MT.

Many years later RAF Kenley was being guarded by some lads in green as part of an 80s exercise to test the humble British soldier against the might of the Russian war machine.

Unfortunately, despite it being a home fixture, the Blue team was not aware of the rules of the game, in particular the specs of the bats, balls etc.

The Red team landed in a Chinookski, and one of the Red team members proceeded to pull-start his petrol-powered stone-grinder as he ran down the ramp with his mates who wielded AK47s and AR15s.

The Blue team promptly locked themselves in the loo until all the shouting was over, and Mummy came to pick them up.

And thus it was that OC A Squadron 21 SAS got sent a big laundry bill by the Quarter-Master of the Royal Somethingorothers, and the Chinook's loadie got a hernia from laughing so much.

Memories of Kenley
 

As a young resident of Purley, I can remeber going to a B of B display sometime in the late 40,s I remember a sequence by the Belgian airforce with Spitfires plus a Tiger Moth being "stolen" and beating up the chasing authorities with what then could be described as crazy flying.

At around the same time I went up Hayes Lane to view the gliding to find nothing happening except for an open wheeled front engined racing car pounding the perimiter track. The body work was in French racing blue, and I have often wondered whose it was and what kind, Gordini, Lago Talbot? At that time an ERA was even painted blue
Alan

Safely retired now are we !!!
PC

POBJOY
Yes, have hung up my boots for now. Now play with a '59 Healey 3000 instead.
Somewhere I have photo of the AC drifting through the snow outside the Hangar.
Rgds
KF

Kenley Hangars
 

The Kenley hangars did sterling service rebuilding various modes of staff transport including a TR3 the AC, and my beetle.
Kenley in the 60/70's was a fabulous place to be and i miss it very much.
We were lucky to have such freedom and a virtual free run of the rovers and austin. Spinning in the snow was a regular winter pastime and we were always looking out for more power to get more spins.
My beetle "1200" would manage two turns from 50ish down the runway,but i managed to get a couple of runs in the CFI's "1500" from over 60 and do 3 turns.(He was watching from the tower mouth agog) as he thought my request to borrow his brand new car was a joke !!! (great days) at a great place
PC
The Hangar lives on in shots from "Reach from the sky", and the dispersal images were done in the original gliding huts down towards the dump.
If i had been a bit older the spit would have been rescued by 450.I tried to get a Piston Provost for us to play with but the "powers to be " were more interested in starting a band,hence my interest in "helping out" at 615.
Comper is being moved to new base (closer to home) for some long o/due TLC.

Is that the blue Comper we used to see performing at Biggin Pobjoy?

Walked across Kenley with some friends on Saturday - I must have walked around the western peri track a hundred times, but for the first time I went around the eastern side and took a look at the war memorial and hangar area.

Cheers

Treadders

Yes, the Comper did its first display at the Air Fair (1974) after extracting it from Lasham, and sorting it out with much help from other TC members.
It then performed shows on a regular basis until the early 80's after returning from Iran (dont ask)
I was pleased to do the Kenley display (was also doing the Turb Thing) as the place meant so much to me.
We also managed to do the original Croydon event,and would "gate crash" the odd "Moth Event" supporting one of the clubs Tigers.
Of course all this was non radio in those days,and great fun.
We also managed to fly out of Gatwick (off one of the service roads) after coming back from the middle east.
The machine had been owned by the well know J Kent when he was CO of Tangmere,so perhaps we will "visit" whats left of that sometime.
Great film story.Man wins Euro lottery, buys Kenley,kicks out developers,rebuilds it to post war standards,gives 450,and 615 a decent HQ,reopens naffi,and fills hangar with warbirds,ATC machines,and fugitives from the TC.
None of my machines ever went into the Belfast,but the odd Tiger and Turb from RHill "dropped in" and had to spend the night there.However my Beetle had major surgery performed in its hallowed space,right where the Hurricanes are in Reach for the Sky.
PC

I think the low level raid on Aug 18th 1940 led to some improvements in being able to spot raiders before they were on top of you.
Down at Burntwood lane (near the school) i think an anti aircraft platform still exists.
This looks very much like the same design as one at Brooklands (that also suffered a low level raid) and must have been built post Aug 1940,as it is not mentioned in any records for the raid.
The Kenley hangars did not stand much of a chance,as the roof structure was wood (Belfast Truss) covered in roofing felt.
The combination of dry wood and tarred covering was no match for dozens of 50kg bombs.
When the days flying finished at 615 GS,the final duty was to "throw" the main power switch to the hangar in lieu of the rather elderly wiring and "heaters".
The 1978 fire started in the ajoining bay (in a room used as a paper store) due to a heater being covered,a sad end to a historic structure.
When the hangar had been built during the first war i suspect the doors were also wooden clad.
The "non standard " control tower was added on (prob in 39) but i have no accurate info on that.
However the good news is that i have one of the original hangar bricks (from the door arches) to start the rebuild !!!
PC
Kenley also had the "Gates from Hornchurch" when that station closed (officers mess entrance),and its own band music as played at main parades.

Think there is still a band as when we walked behind the hangar the sound of drumming could be heard issuing forth!

It was a very windy day at Cape Kenley and, although the winch and launch control point were out in the field, all the gliders were hangared. The new "crowd control" railings near the hangar were lying on the ground and had presumably been flattened by the winds the night before.

I've distinct memory of the Comper at the 1976 Biggin Battle of Britain Day which was the first show I attended there - up until 1980 I missed all the rest as both the Air Fair and the "At Home" were in term time and I was away at school. I've recently seen a pic of it covered in sponsors' stickers - that something to do with the Iranian trip?

Yep, I do the lottery just in case!

Yes Treadders
Comper left Lands End (St Just) airfield in Dec 81,and landed past the snow drifts at Biggin.The Austrailia attempt finished with a forced landing at "Jask" in Iran with rotor arm failure.It gained many stickers en route including Iran.
I was not premitted to fly on into Pakistan so had to return to Dubai on a dubious single mag.
Managed to get a lift back to Gatwick in a 707 freighter.
Most expensive landing fee "Damascus" 300 dollars.
Second most expensive "Exeter"!!!
Lots of help from everyone including BA outposts,and Dubai.
Cobair and Biggin were great,and flight through "Bekka valley" very stimulating.
Came back to a bust Lakers,and the Falklands war.
Gatwick SATCO arranged escape out of officialdom and back to Redhill.
Stickers still there.
PC
Managed a quick visit to Kenley last week and whilst exploring the area near the Gym/Squash courts came across a complete gun emplacement "with stainless mount" that i had never seen before.Must have been for airfield ground defence aligned towards Whyteleafe Hill.
Left for Redhill after extracting second "brick" for rebuild !!

Kenley Guns
 

PM me Treadders for image.
PC

Kenley
 

Jusr a few more notes on Kenley. My RAF 414 log book shows I took off with a Mr Smiles, (Civvy Airwork Instructor) from 10 BFTS at RAF Anstey on 20th November 1952 to land at Kenley ... apparently to collect an urgently required Chipmunk part. I was 19! I do recall a very active airfield and a small MU in a blister type hangar where the part was handed over.

Forty years later I bought a house in Cedar Walk off Hayes Lane and spent many a happy hour with my son, cycling around the airfield perimeter. Also recall the many pictures of WW2 aircraft and pilots in the nearby pub... (Wattenden Arms or similar) I know my son was mighty impressed to be close to the site where so many youngsters of his age fought in the B of B to help save the country from Germany. He used to get quite mad at the thought of it all being given away to the EU by the politicians.

Around 1995 ish, I did offer the author Peter Flint a helicopter flight over the aerodrome to precisely re-photo the pics in his book on Kenley. Sadly I think he passed away too soon.

I also seem to remember that a Mr Peter Michael of Quantel used to land his AS 350 Squirrel at his home just off the airfield and I read somewhere there was actually an airshow there around the 1980s? Lesser known probably is the 1930s existence of a second airfield just down the hill toward Caterham. Signs of it can still be seen from the air.

Love the thread and happy nostalgia times to all.


Dennis K

Kenley
 

DK
Sounds like the man who gave spirited Helio displays !!!!
Pobjoy
If it is, the first one i saw was when an Enstrom shot vertically off the deck at Shoreham doing 360's on the climb.Must have been the Turbo version with light fuel,looked great.

Racing car at Kenley
 

Bigal
The racing car you saw may well have been connected with Prince Bira of Siam,who was a well known racing driver,and also an ATC gliding instructor.
He lived in London after the war,and his "racing" colour was pale blue.He also owned and flew a miles aircraft (same colour),and also sailplanes.
With Brooklands no longer available (one of his favourite places) The Kenley perimeter track would have made a good substitute for practice, (and also much smoother).
There had been a "Home Command" gliding site at Hamsey Green (small private airfield) near Selsdon, (also home of a certain Comper Swift),and this was one of the schools that amalgamated after the war to form 615 GS.
There was a certain ammount of "racing" with ATC landrovers,but the practice was very much frowned upon by the senior members of staff.
Apparently at a certain ATC school in the West Country two landrovers were "rolled" and the school closed !!
This was at either St E..l,or St M....n,however the driver of one of the rovers went on to become a centre insructor.
If you want to hear the story of the Turbulent that landed at Kenley with engine trouble i will do another post (its a real hoot,and treadders has heard it before)
Pobjoy

KENLEY
 

Used to live closeby as a kid and played in the shelters, after school Mess visits as a paper boy giving horse tips, and scrumping near a concrete structure aa by Burntwood Lane, as well as eating at Roundabout Cafe at bottom of Burntwood Lane. Mates dads were RAF 58/60 and lived in Foxon Close and Hillhurst Gdns, Messrs Turner and Holland respectively. Young Robert Holland flew BOAC in 70's.

I went back to Kenley 2014 with my sons and we walked all over and got kicked off the glider runway...found squarish flat concrete slabs off the east perimeter, but walking north of a/f towards Whyteleafe Hill, found well hidden away after trampling thru untrodden bushland, amongst trees, a remote square tallish building under tree canopy with no visible doors or windows. Was that an ops post?

The Wattenden Pub still exists with photos and comments on the walls inside. My dad used to take us kids there in the 50's for lemonade and crisps and then get an ice cream at Boyd's End going back around perimeter road on way home.

They were the days my friend......

RAF Kenley
 

Spent several happy hours accompanying cadet to Gliding at Kenley as a young CI (and then baby VR(T) officer) when I started with 1924 (Shirley) Sqn ATC in 1988. Nice to see the airfield continuing as a flying site, unlike so many round here, RAF Wyton (airfield only), Alconbury, Oakington, Waterbeach where they seem to be all going for housing/industry. Long may Kenley thrive.

Kenley Survives (Just)
 

KENLEY (or at least the airfield part) has at least survived the ravages of complete destruction.
Its part in the defence of the UK in 1940 has never really been credited and it was lucky to survive the Aug 18th raid with most of the camp facilities intact (including the ops room)
The loss of all but one of the WW1 hangars was a blow, but in fact most of the other buildings survived which helped to keep it fully operational.
I well remember my first visit there in 1960 (to join the ATC) and wondering why there were so many 'parade grounds' when in fact they were the floors of the flattened hangars.
In 1960 all the mess facilities were still in use as was the NAFFI complete with cinema and a large snooker room. A Mk 16 'High Back' Spit (RR263) stood at the end of the main entrance road, so it looked and felt like a 'time warp' of 1940.
Several buildings including the surviving Belfast hangar and the main parade ground are featured in Reach For The Sky, so its history lives on in black and white.
It appears that the Friends of Kenley are arranging for a RAF BoB flight display in August which will be great as the other proposed air shows have had to be cancelled due to a lack of vision with the powers to be (not the organisers).
It is 55 years since I first flew from this hallowed location that had been changed from a peaceful Surrey common into a front line battle ground. It held the line in 1940 and is still holding on !
I shall be revisiting my spiritual home in Sept for a 'nostalg' and hope the ATC have started gliding again by then. PP

Kenley Building
 

Hi There N Silver if you are still 'on thread', if you can be a bit more precise re the location of said windowless building I may be able to help.
I was in your part of the world early in the year, but you must have been around Kenley just as i was joining 450 ATC .
The Burntwood lane structure is a post 1940 OP/antiaircraft elevated platform (same as Brooklands) no doubt built as a result of the low level Donier raid.
If you PM me I will send you my latest aerial view of Kenley plus a few notes.
I to remember the Boydon End Café at Hayes Lane, and the staff of 615 GS used the Roundabout Café when Kenleys catering facilities finally closed.
Great days driving an Austin 1 Ton 4x4 open back to the NAFFI full of course cadets,H&S what was that; I think we called it common sense. PP

Hi POBJOY and Kenley RAF
 

Thanks for info re ack ack in Burntwood Lane as we went scrumping in disused orchard 100 yards away.

Regarding that remote square tallish building under tree canopy with no visible doors or windows below may give its location on South East part of air field.

Looking on Google satellite map run on runway from Wattenden end towards Whyteleafe Hill, pass 615 Gliders building on your right, continue into a grassed area and turn right say 2 o'clock (from run way direction) or 4 o'clock on map and walk 100 yards and under those trees was this square building.

Have a great trip and no doubt you will have a feed at the Wattenden and read stuff on the walls and owner may have more memorabilia stashed away in loft. Worth an ask. Cheers NS

Hello Kenley-ites, I only became aware of this illuminating thread (and the "Kenley 2015" one) recently, and can't claim any aviation credentials at Kenley. So I hesitate to comment - but will anyway!

Up to the age of six, I lived in Whyteleafe Hill, about a quarter of a mile due east of the Rwy 31 threshold. That could account for a lot, although down in our steep valley none of the airfield manoeuvring areas was visible (as many of you would know well). I seem to recall a few a/c flying low over us, but we were more interested in news of the Comet's progress into service.

My older brother would cross the road and a token fence to climb trees in the woods on the slope, sometimes enticing me to follow. I was convinced we would be spotted, arrested, or maybe even shot by the scores of guards I assumed were on patrol. (No doubt these fears were nurtured by my sibling...) Just before we moved abroad, circumstances forced me for a couple of weeks to return home from school in Purley alone, as my dear brother was doing some after-school activity. (Sounds ridiculous now...) Boarding the 115 bus in Purley Way, I was horrified to see a man in RAF uniform. Realising he would be on the lookout for me, I scuttled terrified upstairs, hoping he would not recognise me in school uniform. (I think he got off the bus at Kenley village.)

One evening in the autumn of 1955, there was an official party at the officers' mess at the aerodrome in connection with The Dam Busters film, which I now see was already on general release in the UK. My parents and I were in the UK on leave. The bash was probably one of many, as Kenley hardly seems the most relevant airfield, but I seem to recall my parents telling me that several cast and production members were there, as well as RAF top brass. I guess that shows that Kenley was still a significant London-area base in the early-to-mid Fifties?

These days, "running" the dogs, I regularly see Kenley-based gliders (not to mention buzzards) soaring in the Chaldon/Farthing Down area, of course. Rarely take the dogs to Kenley, but one of the guys gave me (not a glider cognoscento) a real fright a few years back. We were somewhere on the east boundary, outside the peri track. The wind was moderate-to-fresh westerly, so I was surprised to see a glider low in the west, heading for the field. Coming straight towards us, it looked as if it was trying to land downwind. It soon became apparent that it was going much too fast for the LDA. You've guessed the rest? ;)

Well, you can thank a wet Bank-Holiday Monday for this mundane contribution! Time to venture out into the residual drizzle with the hounds, as you may agree... :}

PS
I missed the August flypast, due to lack of local publicity, and XH558 failed to show for the last time at Dunsfold yesterday. :sad: The "Ten" high-speed taxi-run was good, though. Well done, Brooklands! :D

Kenley Dam Busters
 

CS You will recall that Reach For The Sky was made at Kenley in 55-56 so the 'event' may well have something to do with that.
In fact that film has given us a legacy of Kenley at that time with good shots of the camp and the last Belfast hangar (complete with hurricanes).
That film also gave Kenley its MK16 Spitfire (now in France).
The earlier film with Hurricanes 'Angels on five' also has some content including some of the old flight sheds at the northern end that were in use for ATC gliding. Several extra Hurricanes flew in from Portugal for that film and returned whence they came (via Tangmere)
PP

Thanks POBJOY, looks like I had memory failure there. Reach for the Sky makes a lot more sense and, yes, I remember seeing it a year or two later abroad. I'll have to dig out my dad's memoirs ;) - perhaps More or even Bader himself may have attended.