RAF Detling

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Template other Royal Air Force Detling, or more simply RAF Detling, is a former Royal Air Force station situated above sea level, located near Detling, a village about miles north-east of Maidstone, Kent.

It was a station of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in the First World War and the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Second World War. The airfield suffered several raids by the Luftwaffe, especially during the period of the Battle of Britain.

History

RNAS Detling airfield was north east of Maidstone,Template:Sfn and was used jointly by the Navy and Air Force between 1916 and 1919. The Fleet Air Arm aircraft also shared some facilities during the second World War. The site was developed in April 1915, covering some , although it was April 1917 before the first occupants, No. 50 Squadron arrived from Dover.Template:Sfn The airfield closed in December 1919 to military flying, and after the war it was used by the Short factory at Rochester to test aircraft, and civilian gliding also started in 1930.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

RAF Detling opened in September 1938 and was assigned to No. 16 Group RAF (headquartered in Chatham) in Coastal Command, for patrols protecting coastal shipping.Template:Sfn Although the site was prone to fog, it was re-activated as it had an excellent view over the Medway towns.Template:Sfn The airfield consisted of grassed fields, with the longest runway being long orientated in a north east/south west direction.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn No. 500 Sqn were the first squadron to move in from RAF Manston. During the Battle of Britain, the base was subject to several raids by enemy aircraft, but also provided a useful stopover location for aircraft from No. 11 Group who could return to their home bases later. On 13 August 1940, a day the Luftwaffe codenamed Adlertag (Eagle Day), at least 50 bombers set out to bomb Detling and RAF Rochford. This resulted in several casualties at Detling, but had little effect on Fighter Command, as the base was an asset of Coastal Command.Template:Sfn Twenty-two aircraft were destroyed on the ground, the hangars were set alight and a direct hit on the operations room killed the commanding officer.Template:Sfn In total, 67 service and civilian personnel were killed in the raid.Template:Sfn The base suffered several attacks during August and September 1940.Template:Sfn

In 1943, it was transferred first to RAF Army Cooperation Command, then to Fighter Command, ahead of the D Day landings.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn By December 1944, all flying had ceased, and being a grassed airfield, which were surplus to requirements, Detling was placed on a care and maintenance basis from 1 January 1945. Fears of Nazi fanatics not abiding by a surrender, led to the RAF Regiment setting up a disarmament school, teaching students about booby-trapped buildings and dealing with German prisoners.Template:Sfn RAF gliding schools used the site after the war, with the Air Training Corps gliders using the airfield alongside civilian gliding clubs. However, these all had to leave when the RAF disposed of the site back to its original owners who were not interested in running it as a gliding site, eventually closing in 1959.

The site of the airfield is now home to the annual Kent County Show, which takes place for three days every July, and a number of other shows and events.Template:Sfn

File:Detling War Memorial (01).jpg

This memorial commemorates the units and squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Naval Air Service, the Fleet Air Arm, the army and civilian personnel who served at Detling Air Field.

Notable personnel

File:Corporal J.D.M Pearson, GC, WAAF (1940) (Art. IWM ART LD 626).jpg

Corporal J. D. M. Pearson, GC, WAAF by Laura Knight (1940)

• Ronald Cuthbert Hay – Served with No. 801 Squadron NAS in 1940 at the base.
• Daphne Pearson – Pearson was billeted at Detling in 1940 when she was awarded a George Cross for an act of bravery in rescuing a pilot from a burning aircraft which had crashed on the airfield. Pearson had just got him to safety when the bombs on board exploded. Initially awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal, this was changed to the George Cross later.

Operational units and aircraft

First World War

• No. 50 Squadron RFC Detachment (1916) – Vickers ES 1Template:Sfn
• No. 112 Squadron RFC (1917) – Vickers ES 1Template:Sfn
• No. 143 Squadron RFC/RAF (1918–1919) – Armstrong Whitworth FK.8, Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5A, Sopwith Camel & Sopwith SnipeTemplate:Sfn

Inter war period and Second World War

• No. 500 Squadron RAF (1938–1939) – Hawker Hind, Avro Anson ITemplate:Sfn
• No. 48 Squadron RAF Detachment (1939) – Avro Anson I – provided support to 500 SquadronTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn
• No. 4 Squadron RAF Detachment (1940) – Westland Lysander IITemplate:Sfn
• No. 53 Squadron RAF (1940) – Bristol Blenheim IVTemplate:Sfn
• No. 235 Squadron RAF (1940) – Bristol Blenheim 1FTemplate:Sfn
• 806 Naval Air Squadron's Detachment No. 9 between 7 and 31 May 1940 with the Skua IITemplate:Sfn
• 825 Naval Air Squadron initially between 18 and 28 May 1940 then again between 1 and 5 July 1940 with the Swordfish ITemplate:Sfn
• 819 Naval Air Squadron's Detachment No. 6 between 21 and 23 May 1940 with the Swordfish ITemplate:Sfn
• 815 Naval Air Squadron between 27 May and 2 June 1940 with the Swordfish ITemplate:Sfn
• 826 Naval Air Squadron between 31 May and 1 June 1940 with the Albacore ITemplate:Sfn
• 801 Naval Air Squadron between 31 May and 23 June 1940 with the Skua IITemplate:Sfn
• 812 Naval Air Squadron's Detachment No. 7 between 27 and 28 August 1940 with the Swordfish ITemplate:Sfn
• 812 Naval Air Squadron's Detachment No. 2 between 27 December 1940 and 12 March 1941 with the SwordfishTemplate:Sfn
• No. 13 Squadron RAF Detachment (1941) – Bristol Blenheim IVTemplate:Sfn
• No. 26 Squadron RAF (1941) – Curtiss Tomahawk IITemplate:Sfn
• No. 59 Squadron RAF (1941) – Bristol Blenheim IVTemplate:Sfn
• 816 Naval Air Squadron's Detachment No. 2 initially between 12 March and 4 April 1941 and then between 11 and 16 April 1941. 'X' Flight joined on 23 April 1941 until being redesignated as 821 NAS on 1 July 1941Template:Sfn
• 821 Naval Air Squadron between 1 July and 14 July 1941 with the Swordfish ITemplate:Sfn
• No. 239 Squadron RAF (1942) – North American Mustang ITemplate:Sfn
• No. 280 Squadron RAF (1942) – Avro Anson ITemplate:Sfn
• No. 26 Squadron RAF (1943) – North American Mustang IITemplate:Sfn
• No. 318 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Hurricane ITemplate:Sfn
• No. 567 Squadron RAF (1943–1944) – Fairey Barracuda, Miles Martinet, Hawker Hurricane IV & Airspeed OxfordTemplate:Sfn
• No. 655 Squadron RAF (1943) – Auster IIITemplate:Sfn
• No. 125 Airfield RAF (October 1943 – May 1944)Template:Sfn
  • No. 132 Squadron RAF (1943) – Supermarine Spitfire IXBTemplate:Sfn
  • No. 184 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Hurricane IVTemplate:Sfn
  • No. 602 Squadron RAF (1943) – Supermarine Spitfire IXBTemplate:Sfn
• No. 1 Squadron RAF (1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXBTemplate:Sfn
• No. 118 Squadron RAF (1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXTemplate:Sfn
• No. 124 Squadron RAF (1944) – Supermarine Spitfire VII & HF.IXETemplate:Sfn
• No. 165 Squadron RAF (1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXBTemplate:Sfn
• No. 453 Squadron RAAF (1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXBTemplate:Sfn
• No. 504 Squadron RAF (1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXETemplate:Sfn
• Unknown Fighter WingTemplate:Sfn
  • No. 80 Squadron RAF (1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXTemplate:Sfn
  • No. 229 Squadron RAF (1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXTemplate:Sfn
  • No. 274 Squadron RAF (1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXTemplate:Sfn
• No. 651 Squadron RAF (No. 1903 Flight) (1951–1955) – Bristol Sycamore HC11
• No. 651 Squadron RAF (No. 1902 Flight) (1955–1957) – Auster AOP6Template:Sfn

The following units were also here at some point:

External links

• RAF Detling in World War II