Gravesend Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gravesend Airport
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Civilian / Military
Location	Gravesend, Kent
Built	1932
In use	1932-1956
Coordinates	51°25′05″N 000°23′47″E / 51.41806°N 0.39639°E / 51.41806; 0.39639
Map
Gravesend Location in Kent
Runway
Runway Length Surface ft m 01/19 5,400 1,645.9 Grass 07/25 4,400 1,341.12 Grass

Gravesend Airport was an important airfield located about 2.5 miles (4 km) south-east of Gravesend town centre in Kent. It was also about 7 miles (11 km) west of Rochester. This airport was active from 1932 until 1956.

It started as a place for regular flights and private planes. But when the Second World War began, it became a Royal Air Force (RAF) base. It was then known as RAF Gravesend. During the famous Battle of Britain, it was controlled by RAF Fighter Command. Gravesend Airport holds a special place in history because it was the first RAF base to use the powerful North American Mustang III aircraft.

After the war ended, the airport went back to being used by civilians. However, the Air Ministry still owned it until it finally closed in 1956. In 1954, the Air Ministry had to decide if the airport should be kept and made much bigger. Or if the land could be used to build homes instead.

Kent County Council wanted the land west of Thong Lane to stay as a civil airport. They also said they wouldn't stop the airport from getting bigger. They knew that if it grew, it could become a busy international airport.

A Busy Civilian Airport

Gravesend Airport was run by a company called Gravesend Aviation Ltd. It played a big role in British aviation history.

• Home to Aircraft Builders

From 1933 to 1936, the famous Percival Aircraft company was based here. They built many planes, including the very fast Mew Gull racing aircraft. Later, the company moved to Luton. After 1936, another company called Essex Aero worked at the airport. They kept the airport's link with racing planes alive. They prepared planes like the de Havilland DH.88 Comets. They also worked on Alex Henshaw's Percival Mew Gull, which set a record for a flight from England to South Africa.

• A Stop for European Flights

In December 1933, Gravesend Airport got special facilities for Customs. This meant it could handle international flights. Many European airlines used Gravesend as a backup airport. This happened when Croydon Airport was too foggy for planes to land. Airlines like Imperial Airways, KLM, Sabena, and Deutsche Luft Hansa often landed here.

Royal Air Force Base

The Royal Air Force started using Gravesend in 1937. A Flying Training School began teaching pilots using de Havilland Tiger Moths and Hawker Harts. In 1942, the RAF made the airfield much larger. They extended both grass runways significantly. Even during the war, Essex Aero continued to make aircraft parts at the site. RAF staff lived in nearby Ashenbank Wood.

Essex Aero also had big plans for the airfield. They wanted to pave the runways with concrete. The longest runway would be over 5600 feet (1700 meters) after the RAF extensions. They also planned a new terminal and cargo center.

• Gravesend in World War II

When the RAF took over the entire airfield in 1939, it became a key base for Biggin Hill. It was one of the airfields in the important 11 Group.

• The first squadron to arrive was 32 Squadron on January 3, 1940. They flew Hawker Hurricane fighter planes.
• On May 27, 610 Squadron replaced them.
• Then, 604 Squadron arrived on July 3. They flew Bristol Blenheims as night fighters.
• During the 1940 Battle of Britain, 501 and 66 Squadrons also flew from Gravesend. They arrived on July 25 and September 10.
• A pilot from 501 Squadron, "Ginger" Lacey, was one of the RAF's most successful pilots during the Battle of Britain.

Many other units also used the base during the war:

• 71 Squadron arrived on August 14, 1942, for the Dieppe Raid.
• 92 Squadron arrived on September 24, 1941.
• No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron arrived on August 11, 1943.
• 65 Squadron arrived on July 29, 1943. This squadron was the first to get the North American Mustang III in December. This made Gravesend the first RAF base to use this type of plane.

• Life at the Airfield

RAF personnel stayed in different places. Officers lived at Cobham Hall. Some pilots stayed in the control tower. Ground crews lived at the 'Laughing Waters' restaurant. Aircraft were spread out around the edge of the airfield. The army provided air defense. The airfield was only attacked a few times. On September 2, 1940, two soldiers were killed when bombs were dropped. On September 4, Heinkel He 111 planes tried to attack, but they stopped. Two more attacks happened, but neither hit the airfield itself.

Later in the war, the airfield was made even bigger. This was to make room for three squadrons of American fighter planes. It was also used as an emergency runway for bomber planes returning from missions over Europe. After the war, Gravesend Aerodrome mostly went back to civilian use. The RAF finally left in 1956. After that, the airfield became a housing estate. Today, you can only see a plaque in a local sports centre. It lists the names of fifteen pilots who died while flying from this small field.

Squadrons at Gravesend

Many different RAF squadrons were based at Gravesend during the war. Here are some of the main ones:

• No. 32 Squadron RAF (from January 3, 1940)
• No. 610 Squadron RAF (from May 27, 1940)
• No. 604 Squadron RAF (from July 3, 1940)
• No. 501 Squadron RAF (from July 25, 1940)
• No. 66 Squadron RAF (from September 10, 1940)
• No. 92 Squadron RAF (from September 24, 1941)
• No. 65 Squadron RAF (from July 29, 1942)
• No. 71 Squadron RAF (from August 14, 1942)
• No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron (from August 11, 1943)

The Airport Site Today

Today, the land where Gravesend Airport once stood is a housing estate called Riverview Park. It's hard to tell that it was once an airfield. Streets like Leander Drive and Vigilant Way were built inside the old airfield area. The former perimeter track, which went east to west, is now roughly where Astra Drive runs. To the west and north, the old boundary is close to the current edge of Riverview Park Estate. To the east, it was next to Thong Lane. The main entrance to the airport, which led to the control tower and hangars, was about where the mini-roundabout in Thong Lane is now.

On the eastern side of Thong Lane, where a leisure centre and golf club are now, was the eastern wartime extension of the airfield. The path for planes ran east from Thong Lane, then looped north towards what is now the Leisure Centre. It then crossed Thong Lane to connect with the path on the west side. The road leading to the leisure centre today follows the line of the old path.

The "Cascades" Leisure Centre in Thong Lane has a special plaque. It honors the airmen from World War II who served at Gravesend Airport. The old Control Tower from the airport was located across the road from the leisure centre grounds. The Stand By Set House (a building for emergency generators) still stands in the field north of Cascades. It is surrounded by two modern barns. There is also a small piece of the old tarmac perimeter track left behind Astra Drive, but it is in poor condition. These are the only parts of the entire airfield that remain. Also, two buildings in Stacey Close (The Stork at Rest Pub and the building opposite) were once the airfield's sick quarters.

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations