Royal Air Force Detling or more simply RAF Detling is a former

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) and ...

station situated above sea level, located near

Detling Detling is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Maidstone in Kent, England. The parish is located on the slope of the North Downs, north east of Maidstone, and on the Pilgrims' Way. History and features The ''Cock Horse Inn'' was used ...

, a village about miles north-east of

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. It was a station of the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

(RNAS) in 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 ...

and the

(RAF) in 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 opposin ...

. Although not a fighter base, the airfield suffered several raids by the Luftwaffe, especially during the period of 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 ...

History

''RNAS Detling'' airfield was north east of Maidstone, and was used jointly by the Navy and Air Force between 1916 and 1919. The

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

aircraft also shared some facilities during the second World War. The site was developed in April 1915, covering some , although it was April 1917 before the first occupants, No. 50 Squadron arrived from Dover. The airfield closed in December 1919 to military flying, and after the war it was used by the Short factory at Rochester to test aircraft, and civilian gliding also started in 1930. RAF Detling opened in September 1938 and was assigned to

No. 16 Group RAF No. 16 Group RAF was a Royal Air Force groups. It has existed over two periods in to different roles. First, No. 16 Group was a training group from 1918 to 1920 that had been transferred from the Royal Flying Corps. Secondly, it was a reconnai ...

(with headquarters in

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

) in Coastal Command, for patrols protecting coastal shipping. Although the site was prone to fog, it was re-activated as it had an excellent view over the

Medway towns Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...

. The airfield consisted of grassed fields, with the longest runway being long orientated in a north east/south west direction. No. 500 Sqn were the first squadron to move in from

RAF Manston Royal Air Force Manston or more simply RAF Manston is a former Royal Air Force station located in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site was split between a commercial airport Kent International Airpor ...

. During the Battle of Britain, the base was subject to several raids by enemy aircraft, but also provided a useful stopover location for aircraft from No. 11 Group who could return to their home bases later. On 13 August 1940, a day the Luftwaffe codenamed

Adlertag ''Adlertag'' ("Eagle Day") was the first day of ''Unternehmen Adlerangriff'' ("Operation Eagle Attack"), which was the codename of a military operation by Nazi Germany's ''Luftwaffe'' (German air force) to destroy the British Royal Air Force ( ...

(Eagle Day), at least 50 bombers set out to bomb Detling and RAF Rochford. This resulted in several casualties at Detling, but had little effect on Fighter Command, as the base was an asset of Coastal Command. Twenty-two aircraft were destroyed on the ground, the hangars were set alight and a direct hit on the operations room killed the commanding officer. In total, 67 service and civilian personnel were killed in the raid. The base suffered several attacks during August and September 1940. In 1943, it was transferred first to

RAF Army Cooperation Command The RAF Army Co-operation Command was a short-lived command of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, comprising the army cooperation units of the RAF. The command was formed on 1 December 1940 when No. 22 (Army Co-Operation) Group, ...

, then to Fighter Command, ahead of the D Day landings. By December 1944, all flying had ceased, and being a grassed airfield, which were surplus to requirements, Detling was placed on a care and maintenance basis from 1 January 1945. Fears of Nazi fanatics not abiding by a surrender, led to the RAF Regiment setting up a ''disarmament school'', teaching students about booby-trapped buildings and dealing with German prisoners. RAF gliding schools use the site after the war, with the Air Training Corps gliders using the airfield alongside civilian gliding clubs. However, these all had to leave when the RAF disposed of the site back to its original owners who were not interested in running it as a gliding site, eventually closing in 1959. The site of the airfield is now home to the annual

Kent County Show The Kent County Show is an event hosted annually by thKent County Agricultural Societyat their Kent Showground headquarters at Detling near Maidstone in Kent, England. The event is primarily an agricultural show, showcasing the produce of Kent f ...

, which takes place for three days every July, and a number of other shows and events.

Notable personnel

Ronald Cuthbert Hay Ronald Cuthbert Hay, (4 October 1916 – 22 November 2001) was a British naval aviator and the only Royal Marine fighter ace. He joined the Royal Marines in 1935 and then served as an aviator with the Fleet Air Arm. In 1940 he joined 801 Naval A ...

– Served with No. 801 Squadron NAS in 1940 at the base. *

Daphne Pearson Joan Daphne Mary Pearson, (25 May 1911 – 25 July 2000) was a Women's Auxiliary Air Force officer during the Second World War and one of only thirteen women recipients of the George Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry not in the face ...

– Pearson was billeted at Detling in 1940 when she was awarded a

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...

for an act of bravery in rescuing a pilot from a burning aircraft which had crashed on the airfield. Pearson had just go him to safety when the bombs on board exploded. Initially awarded the

Empire Gallantry Medal The Medal of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for Gallantry, known as the Empire Gallantry Medal (EGM), was a British medal awarded for acts of gallantry. Unlike the then existing Sea Gallantry Medal (SGM) (1854), the Albert Medal ...

, this was changed to the George Cross later.

Operational units and aircraft

;First World War * No. 50 Squadron RFC Detachment (1916) –

Vickers ES 1 Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

* No. 112 Squadron RFC (1917) –

* No. 143 Squadron RFC/RAF (1918-1919) –

Armstrong Whitworth FK.8 The Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 was a British two-seat general-purpose biplane built by Armstrong Whitworth during the First World War. The type served alongside the better known R.E.8 until the end of the war, at which point 694 F.K.8s remained ...

Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5A The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the World War I, First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and ...

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

Sopwith Snipe The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of th ...

;Inter war period and Second World War *

No. 500 Squadron RAF (Translation: "Whither the fates may call") , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries= , decorations= , battle_honours= Channel and North Sea, 1939–41 Dunkirk Biscay ports, 1941 Atla ...

(1938-1939) –

Hawker Hind The Hawker Hind was a British light bomber of the inter-war years produced by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force. It was developed from the Hawker Hart day bomber introduced in 1931. Design and development An improved Hawker Hart bomber d ...

, Avro Anson I *

No. 48 Squadron RAF No. 48 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both the First and Second World Wars. History First World War No. 48 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Netheravon, Wiltshire, on 15 April 1916. The squadron w ...

Detachment (1939) – Avro Anson I – provided support to 500 Squadron *

No. 4 Squadron RAF No. 4 Squadron, normally written as IV Squadron, of the Royal Air Force operates the BAE Hawk T2 in the training role from RAF Valley. History Formation and First World War IV Squadron formed at Farnborough in 1912 as part of the Royal Fl ...

Detachment (1940) – Westland Lysander II *

No. 53 Squadron RAF No. 53 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that saw service in both the First and Second World Wars. History No. 53 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Catterick on 15 May 1916. Originally intended to be a training squadr ...

(1940) –

Bristol Blenheim IV The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until t ...

No. 235 Squadron RAF No. 235 Squadron RAF was an anti-submarine squadron of the Royal Air Force in World War I and in World War II served as a squadron in RAF Coastal Command. History Formation and World War I No. 235 Squadron RAF was formed at Newlyn, Cornwall on ...

(1940) – Bristol Blenheim 1F *

806 Naval Air Squadron 806 Naval Air Squadron (806 NAS) was a fighter squadron in the Fleet Air Arm that existed from February 1940 to December 1960 and saw active service in the Norwegian campaign, the Dunkirk evacuation and the Malta Convoys. History Formation A ...

's Detachment No. 9 between 7 and 31 May 1940 with the Skua II *

825 Naval Air Squadron 825 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Naval Air Squadron which was re-commissioned on 10 October 2014 and currently flies the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA2. It was a carrier-based squadron that was formed on 8 October 1934 from the ...

initially between 18 and 28 May 1940 then again between 1 and 5 July 1940 with the Swordfish I *

819 Naval Air Squadron 819 Naval Air Squadron (819 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. History Along with No. 815 Squadron, it performed the successful night attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto on 11 November 1940. The attack was perfo ...

's Detachment No. 6 between 21 and 23 May 1940 with the Swordfish I *

815 Naval Air Squadron 815 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron flying the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2 helicopter and is the Navy's front line Wildcat Naval Air Squadron. The squadron is based at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) in Somerset. The squadro ...

between 27 May and 2 June 1940 with the Swordfish I *

826 Naval Air Squadron 826 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm aircraft squadron formed during World War II which has been reformed several times since then until last disbanded in 1993. History Second World War No. 826 Squadron was formed at RNAS Ford in Sussex a ...

between 31 May and 1 June 1940 with the Albacore I *

801 Naval Air Squadron 801 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm squadron of the Royal Navy formed in 1933 which fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Falklands War. Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force The squadron was formed on 3 April 1933 as part ...

between 31 May and 23 June 1940 with the Skua II *

812 Naval Air Squadron 812 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was active between 1933 and 1956, and saw service in both World War II and the Korean War. Service history First formation The squadron was first form ...

's Detachment No. 7 between 27 and 28 August 1940 with the Swordfish I * 812 Naval Air Squadron's Detachment No. 2 between 27 December 1940 and 12 March 1941 with the Swordfish *

No. 13 Squadron RAF Number 13 Squadron, also written as XIII Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force which operate the General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle from RAF Waddington since reforming on 26 October 2012. The unit first formed as par ...

Detachment (1941) –

No. 26 Squadron RAF No. 26 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1915 and was disbanded for the last time in 1976. The squadron's motto is ''N Wagter in die Lug'' (Afrikaans) (A guard in the sky), and the badge is a springbok's head couped. History 1915 ...

(1941) – Curtiss Tomahawk II *

No. 59 Squadron RAF No. 59 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, based in Norfolk, England. History No.59 Squadron was formed at Narborough Airfield in Norfolk on 1 August 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. On 13 February 1917, the Squadro ...

(1941) –

816 Naval Air Squadron 816 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed at the start of the Second World War. The squadron formed aboard in October 1939 with 9 Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers for anti-submarine duty on convoys bet ...

's Detachment No. 2 initially between 12 March and 4 April 1941 and then between 11 and 16 April 1941. 'X' Flight joined on 23 April 1941 until being redesignated as 821 NAS on 1 July 1941 *

821 Naval Air Squadron 821 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed on 3 April 1933 with the transferral and amalgamation of the Fairey III aircraft from 446 and half of 455 Flight (Fleet Spotter Reconnaissance) Flights Royal Ai ...

between 1 July and 14 July 1941 with the Swordfish I *

No. 239 Squadron RAF No. 239 Squadron RAF was an anti-submarine squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War I. During World War II the squadron performed as an army co-operation squadron and later as a night intruder unit. After the war the squadron was disbande ...

(1942) – North American Mustang I *

No. 280 Squadron RAF No. 280 Squadron was a Royal Air Force air-sea rescue squadron during the second world war. History No. 280 Squadron was formed at RAF Thorney Island, England on 10 December 1941 as an air-sea rescue squadron. The squadron was equipped with the ...

(1942) – Avro Anson I *

(1943) – North American Mustang II * No. 318 Squadron RAF (1943) – Hawker Hurricane I *

No. 567 Squadron RAF No. 567 Squadron was an anti-aircraft co-operation squadron of the Royal Air Force, formed during World War II and active between December 1943 and June 1946 in the defence of south-east England. History No. 567 Squadron was formed on 1 December ...

(1943-1944) –

Fairey Barracuda The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber designed by Fairey Aviation. It was the first aircraft of this type operated by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) to be fabricated entirely from metal. The Barracuda ...

Miles Martinet The Miles M.25 Martinet was a target tug aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Fleet Air Arm (FAA) that was in service during the Second World War. It was the first British aircraft to be designed specifically for target towing. Work on t ...

, Hawker Hurricane IV &

Airspeed Oxford The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford is a twin-engine monoplane aircraft developed and manufactured by Airspeed. It saw widespread use for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery roles throughout the Seco ...

No. 655 Squadron RAF No. 655 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely with Army units in artillery spotting and liaison. A further three of thes ...

(1943) –

Auster III The Taylorcraft Auster was a British military liaison and observation aircraft produced by the Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited company during the Second World War. Design and development The Auster was a twice-removed development of ...

* No. 125 Airfield RAF (October 1943 – May 1944) **

No. 132 Squadron RAF No. 132 (City of Bombay) Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter unit in World War II. History Formation and World War I No. 132 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on 1 ...

(1943) – Supermarine Spitfire IXB **

No. 184 Squadron RAF No. 184 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron during the second world war. History No.184 Squadron was formed at RAF Colerne on 1 December 1942, as a fighter bomber unit equipped with the Hawker Hurricane. Initially, Mark IIDs with 40mm anti-ta ...

(1943) – Hawker Hurricane IV ** No. 602 Squadron RAF (1943) – Supermarine Spitfire IXB *

No. 1 Squadron RAF Number 1 Squadron, also known as No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, is a squadron (aviation), squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was the first squadron to fly a VTOL aircraft. It currently operates Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth. Th ...

(1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXB *

No. 118 Squadron RAF No. 118 Squadron was a squadron of the British Royal Air Force. Originally formed in 1918, it served as a fighter squadron in the Second World War, flying Spitfires and Mustangs. It flew jet fighters as part of RAF Germany in the 1950s, and Bristol ...

(1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IX *

No. 124 Squadron RAF No. 124 (Baroda) Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a light bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter unit in World War II. History Formation and World War I No. 124 Squadron Royal Flying Corps was formed on ...

(1944) – Supermarine Spitfire VII & HF.IXE *

No. 165 Squadron RAF No. 165 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force that was formed during World War I and served during World War II. The squadron has been formed twice. Initially formed on 1 June 1918 as a nucleus, it did not see active service before being ...

(1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXB *

No. 453 Squadron RAAF No. 453 Squadron is an air traffic control unit of the Royal Australian Air Force. It was established at Bankstown, New South Wales, in 1941 as a fighter squadron, in accordance with Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme for overseas se ...

(1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXB *

No. 504 Squadron RAF No. 504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron was one of the Special Reserve Squadrons of the Auxiliary Air Force, and today is a reserve force of the RAF Regiment. It was integrated into the AAF proper in 1936. Based at RAF Cottesmore, Rutland, 504 Sq ...

(1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IXE * Unknown Fighter Wing **

No. 80 Squadron RAF No. 80 Squadron RAF was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force squadron active from 1917 until 1969. It was operative during both World War I and World War II. Establishment and early service Founded on 1 August 1917 at RAF Montrose, equipped ...

(1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IX **

No. 229 Squadron RAF No. 229 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, and is an officially accredited Battle of Britain Squadron. It became No. 603 Squadron RAF in January 1945. History Formation and World War I No. 229 Squadron RAF was formed on 20 A ...

(1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IX **

No. 274 Squadron RAF No. 274 Squadron RAF existed briefly in 1918 and 1919 as a patrol and bomber squadron, and served in World War II as a fighter squadron. History The squadron began to form as a patrol squadron, intended to fly Vickers Vimys, at Seaton Carew in ...

(1944) – Supermarine Spitfire IX * No. 651 Squadron RAF (No. 1903 Flight) (1951-1955) – Bristol Sycamore HC11 * No. 651 Squadron RAF (No. 1902 Flight) (1955-1957) –

Auster AOP6 The Auster AOP.6 was a British military air observation aircraft produced by Auster Aircraft Limited to replace the numerous wartime Taylorcraft Auster aircraft then in-service. History The Auster AOP.6 (Auster Model K) was designed as a succe ...

The following units were also here at some point:

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * *

External links

RAF Detling in World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Detling Royal Air Force stations in Kent Royal Naval Air Stations in Kent Military airbases established in 1939 Military installations closed in 1959