RAF Kenley

RAF Kenley
RAF Kenley Station Crest, with motto: NISI DOMINUS PRO NOBIS (We depend on the Lord)
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Royal Air Force
Location	Kenley
Coordinates	51°18′11″N 000°05′31″W / 51.30306°N 0.09194°W / 51.30306; -0.09194
Map
RAF Kenley Location in Surrey
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m NE/SW 3,400 1,130 Concrete NW/SE 2,300 770 Concrete

The former Royal Air Force Station Kenley, more commonly known as RAF Kenley (now known as Kenley Aerodrome) was a station of the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War and the RAF in the Second World War. It is located near Kenley, Surrey, England.

Its active phase commenced in 1917, and ceased in 1959 when RAF Fighter Command left the aerodrome. The airfield at Kenley now hosts 615 Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS), a gliding squadron of the Air Cadet Organisation.

During the Second World War RAF Kenley was one of the three main fighter stations (Kenley, Croydon and Biggin Hill) responsible for the air defence of London. During the Battle of Britain, these three RAF stations became prominent because of their role in defending against the German Luftwaffe.

RAF Kenley suffered its worst damage in an attack on 18 August 1940. While 15 September is considered by many to be the climax of the Battle of Britain, 18 August is often cited as the costliest or hardest day — the British lost 68 aircraft and the Germans lost 69. At Kenley, all ten hangars and twelve aircraft, including ten Hurricanes, were destroyed and the runways badly cratered. The Sector Operations Room had to be moved to an emergency location away from the airfield.

Hammond Innes' book Attack Alarm, published in 1941, was based on his experiences as a Royal Artillery anti-aircraft gunner at RAF Kenley during the Battle of Britain. Innes' novels are marked by attention to accurate detail, and the book contains graphic descriptions of the station and attacks on it in 1940.