Marden Airfield was an airfield in

Marden, Kent Marden ( or ) is a village and civil parish in the Kent borough of Maidstone approximately south of Maidstone. The civil parish is located on the flood plain of the River Beult, and also includes Chainhurst and the hamlet of Wanshurst Green. Th ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was operation from 1917 to 1935. Initially a Royal Flying Corps airfield during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

it was used post-war as an Emergency Landing Strip, RAF Marden by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

. It was also known as Pagehurst Emergency Landing Ground. Later serving as a civil Emergency Landing Ground, the airfield closed in 1935. The site housed a Royal Air Force transmitter station during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Location

Marden Airfield was located east of Marden and west of Staplehurst, and south of the Ashford - Tonbridge railway line, in

Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...

grid squar
TQ7643
(), thus north east of Marden Thorn. Although known as Marden Airfield, most of the site lies within the parish of Staplehurst. The site is above sea level and was .''Marden's Aviation History'', p9

History

Marden Airfield was established in January 1917. It was a Second Class Landing Ground. Facilities were limited to a

Bessonneau hangar The Bessonneau hangar was a portable timber and canvas aircraft hangar used by the French ''Aéronautique Militaire'' and subsequently adopted by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) during the First World War. Ma ...

located in the south east corner of the airfield. It was used as an Emergency Landing Ground. One example of such use was on 16 March 1917 when a Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c of 50 Squadron Royal Flying Corps landed at Marden following engine trouble. In 1918, pilots of 141 Squadron,

, who were taking part in ground-to-air radio telephony exercises were in the habit of making "precautionary" landings at RAF Marden. The pilots did this in order to enjoy the food served at the Station Hotel, Staplehurst. This practice continued until the Commanding Officer of 49 Wing had a genuine problem and landed at Marden. On seeing six Bristol fighters lined up, he made enquiries and discovered the truth. The practice was stopped.''Marden's Aviation History'' p10 Marden was still in use by the RAF in 1919, when Group Captain Charles Eaton landed on 4 July at Marden in

Airco DH.4 The Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited (Airco) was an early British aircraft manufacturer. Established during 1912, it grew rapidly during the First World War, referring to itself as the largest aircraft company in the world by 1918. Ai ...

F5759 following engine trouble. Eaton was returning from

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

where he had been attending the

Versailles Peace Conference The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

. After repairs had been made, Eaton departed for

RAF Kenley The former Royal Air Force Station Kenley, more commonly known as RAF Kenley was an airfield station of the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War and the RAF in the Second World War. It played a significant role during the Battle of Britai ...

, but his engine failed near

Godstone Godstone is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England, east of Reigate at the junction of the A22 and A25 roads, near the M25 motorway and the North Downs. Godstone railway station is separated from it by agricultural land. Blindley H ...

, Surrey where the aircraft crash-landed and was written off.''Marden's Aviation History'' p11 In civil use, the longest available runway was long. The western part of the airfield was separated from the main landing ground by a ditch, which was bridged over a length to allow access for aircraft. The Bessonneau hangar had been removed by the RAF. A

windsock A windsock (also called a wind cone) is a conical textile tube that resembles a giant sock. It can be used as a basic indicator of wind speed and direction, or as decoration. They are typically used at airports to show the direction and strength ...

was located in the north eastern corner of the airfield. The airfield was identified by a circle of

whitewash Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used. ...

ed stones diameter with the word ''MARDEN'' spelled out in the centre. It was lit at night. Telegraph wires at a height of were an obstacle at the west end of the airfield.''Marden's Aviation History'' p13 A navigational beacon was installed at Marden. It was powered by

clockwork Clockwork refers to the inner workings of either mechanical devices called clocks and watches (where it is also called the movement) or other mechanisms that work similarly, using a series of gears driven by a spring or weight. A clockwork mec ...

and had to be wound daily. Lighting at Marden progressed from Chance lights to Gooseneck flares and Money flares over the years.''Marden's Aviation History'' p12 In the latter years of operation, night landing was possible by giving four hours notice to

Lympne Airport Lympne Airport , was a military and later civil airfield , at Lympne, Kent, United Kingdom, which operated from 1916 to 1984. During the First World War RFC Lympne was originally an acceptance point for aircraft being delivered to, and returni ...

not later than 4pm. Marden remained in use as a civil Emergency Landing Ground. On 27 October 1919, a Handley Page O/400 of

Handley Page Transport Handley Page Transport Ltd was an airline company founded in 1919, soon after the end of the First World War, by Frederick Handley Page. The company's first planes were Handley Page Type O/400 bombers modified for passenger use. They flew a Lo ...

landed at Marden due to strong winds preventing it reaching

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

. On 13 August 1923,

de Havilland DH.34 The de Havilland DH.34 was a single engined British biplane airliner built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company in the 1920s. 12 were built, with the DH.34 serving with Imperial Airways and its predecessors for several years. Design and develo ...

G-EBBW of Instone Air Line landed at Marden due to a broken oil pipe. The aircraft was repaired and returned to Croydon. One Wednesday in September 1927, an

Air Union Air Union was a French airline established January 1, 1923, as the result of a merger between the airlines ''Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes'' and '' Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens''. Air Union was merged with four other French airli ...

aircraft on a flight from

to Croydon landed at Marden due to engine trouble. Another aircraft was sent from Croydon to collect the 11 passengers and take them to their destination. Marden was still in operation in 1934, when it was mentioned in

Kelly's Directory Kelly's Directory (or more formally, the Kelly's, Post Office and Harrod & Co Directory) was a trade directory in England that listed all businesses and tradespeople in a particular city or town, as well as a general directory of postal addresses ...

for Kent. In August 1934, a

de Havilland Leopard Moth The de Havilland DH.85 Leopard Moth is a three-seat high-wing cabin monoplane designed and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company in 1933. Design and construction It was a successor to the DH.80 Puss Moth and replaced it on the company's ...

on a flight from

Heston Heston is a suburban area and part of the Hounslow district in the London Borough of Hounslow. The residential settlement covers a slightly smaller area than its predecessor farming village, 10.8 miles (17.4 km) west south-west of Charing ...

to St Inglevert, France made a landing at Marden as a child passenger was suffering from

airsickness Airsickness is a specific form of motion sickness which is induced by air travel and is considered a normal response in healthy individuals. Airsickness occurs when the central nervous system receives conflicting messages from the body (including ...

. The flight was resumed after the child had recovered.''Marden's Aviation History'' p15 Marden closed on 24 June 1935, and the land then reverted to farmland. A RAF wireless station was based on the site during the

.''Marden's Aviation History'' p14 The last aircraft to land at Marden was on 10 October 1940, during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

, when a

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness b ...

of 253 Squadron made a forced landing and overturned, the pilot escaping with a cut thumb.''Marden's Aviation History'' p24

Civil accidents and incidents

*On 2 February 1930, Farman F.63 Goliath F-FHMY of

crashed whilst attempting an emergency landing at Marden following structural failure of the starboard tailplane. Two of the six people on board were killed. *On 23 April 1931, Farman F.60 Goliath F-ADDT ''Languedoc'' of Air Union crashed at Widehurst Farm, Marden (, ) after taking off from Marden. The aircraft was carrying mail. *During the 1930s, a French-registered biplane crashed near Widehurst Wood after hitting a hedge whilst attempting to land at Marden. It was carrying a cargo of oysters.

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Location of Marden Airfield on 1940 Ordnance Survey map
{{Staplehurst Defunct airports in England Airports in Kent Borough of Maidstone