Gravesend Airport
RAF Gravesend
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Gravesend, Kent | ||||||||||||||
| Built | 1937 | ||||||||||||||
| In use | 1937-1945 | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°25′05″N 000°23′47″E / 51.41806°N 0.39639°ECoordinates: 51°25′05″N 000°23′47″E / 51.41806°N 0.39639°E | ||||||||||||||
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 RAF Gravesend
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Gravesend Airport, located 5.0 miles (8.0 km) south-east of Gravesend town centre, Kent and 7.0 miles (11.3 km) west of Gillingham, Kent. It was operated from 1932 until 1956. It was initially a civil airfield, and became a Royal Air Force station known as RAF Gravesend during the Second World War, when it was under the control of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. It was the first RAF station to operate the P-51 Mustang III.
The airport was operated by Gravesend Aviation Ltd served Gravesend and has a significant place in the history of British aviation. From 1933 to 1936 it was home to Percival Aircraft, building the famous Mew Gull racing aircraft among others, before the company moved to Luton. After 1936 Essex Aero was based on the site, and maintained the airfield's link with racing aeroplanes by preparing the de Havilland DH.88 Comets and Alex Henshaw's Percival Mew Gull that set the record for a flight from England to South Africa.
The airfield received Customs facilities in December 1933 and many European airlines made use of Gravesend as a diversionary airport when Croydon was fogged-in. These airlines included Imperial Airways, KLM, Sabena and Deutsche Luft Hansa.
The Royal Air Force moved into Gravesend in 1937 when a Flying Training School began operating Tiger Moths and Hawker Harts at the airfield. In 1942, the RAF greatly enlarged the airfield, which included major extensions to both runways - albeit still formed of grass. Throughout World War II, Essex Aero continued to manufacture aircraft parts at the site. Accommodation for personnel was provided nearby at Ashenbank Wood. The company also drew up major plans for the airfield, including concreting the runways (the longest one being just over 5600 ft after the RAF extensions), a new terminal and cargo centre west of the Thong Lane side and their aircraft parts main plant to the east of Thong Lane.
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