RAF Hawkinge

RAF Hawkinge RFC Hawkinge RFC Folkestone
Near Hawkinge, Kent in England
Spitfire Mk Vs of No. 91 Squadron lined up at Hawkinge during May 1942
RAF Hawkinge Shown within Kent
Coordinates	51°06′45″N 001°09′09″E / 51.11250°N 1.15250°E / 51.11250; 1.15250Coordinates: 51°06′45″N 001°09′09″E / 51.11250°N 1.15250°E / 51.11250; 1.15250
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force (1918–1961) Royal Flying Corps (1915–1918)
Condition	Destroyed
Site history
Built	1915 (1915)
In use	October 1915-8 December 1961 (1961)
Fate	Housing estate and museum
Battles/wars	First World War, Second World War
Airfield information
Elevation	164 metres (538 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 00/00  Grass field

Royal Air Force Hawkinge or more simply RAF Hawkinge is a former Royal Air Force station located 2.2 miles (3.5 km) north of Folkestone, Kent and 7.1 miles (11.4 km) west of Dover, Kent, England. The airfield was used by both the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force during its lifetime and was involved during the Battle of Britain as well other important aerial battles during the Second World War.

During the First World War the airfield was called RFC Folkestone until 29 December 1916 and RFC Hawkinge later on. The only squadron present during this period was No. 25 Squadron RFC between 19 and 20 February 1916 with Vickers F.B.5, Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2B and Morane-Saulnier L.

An Aircraft Acceptance Park was in residence between 27 July 1917 and 12 October 1917 before being renamed to No. 12 Aircraft Acceptance Park which stayed until May 1919.

Between the wars a number of squadrons were posted here:

It was from Hawkinge that air liaison was maintained between the Royal Air Force and the British Expeditionary Force during the fighting in France and the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. As long as communications remained open targets were selected in accordance with requests from the BEF and Hawkinge was one of the advanced re-fuelling bases when maximum range was required for operations over France. It was a fighter airfield for squadrons of No. 11 Group, and was so severely damaged by German bombing and machine gun attacks during the Battle of Britain that it had to be abandoned temporarily.

Hawkinge Cemetery is near the site of the aerodrome and most of the 95 Second World War casualties buried there were airmen. About a quarter were killed during the Battle of Britain. Most of the war graves are in a special plot east of the chapel, including 59 German graves, which are together in a group at the south-eastern corner.