R.A.F. KENLEY - THE STORY OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE STATION 1917-1974 by Flin, Peter

Terence Dalton Ltd, Lavenham, Suffolk, 1990, first UK edition, hard bound (lacks dj), , VG CONDITION , 7 x 9, x, 180 pages, illustrations, appendices, index.-----------------------------------The delightful Kenley Common had definite advantages when in 1917 the Royal Flying Corps was seeking sites for Aircraft Acceptance Parks, which were to be responsible for assembling and testing aeroplanes destined for squadrons in France. Opposition to the takeover of the common under the Defence of the Realm Act was swept aside and what seemed likely to be a temporary establishment was quickly set up as an important link in the chain of supply.---------------------------------------After the signing of the Peace Treaty in 1919 it was made clear that because its situation "rendered it of great importance in connection with the future air defence of London" Kenley would continue in being as a Royal Air Force station, and between the wars biplane fighters based at Kenley became, well known for their part in successive R.A.F. Pageants. When war came again in 1939 Kenley's role was not merely as a vital fighter station but as headquarters of the Kenley Sector, and as such it was to play a very significant part in the Battle of Britain as well as in subsequent air operations. Peter Flint tells not only of the battles that were fought in the skies above Surrey but of the men and women who took part; the fighter pilots, the W.A.A.F. plotters who worked in the Operations Room and the civilians who became involved simply because they lived in the Kenley area.