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first established in 1916 as an Emergency Landing
Ground for Royal Flying Corps home defence fighter
squadrons that were defending London and the Kent
coastal ports against Zeppelin airships and later the
German Gotha bombers.
Heavily bombed during 1940 RAF Lympne was too
close to the coast and was therefore too vulnerable to
shelling from the French coast to be used as a squadron
base so squadrons were detached there on a day-to-day
basis. It was also to be the landing point in an unfulfilled
plot to kidnap Hitler.
A number of the brave men who died during the Battle
of Britain are buried in a corner of the churchyard at
Lympne. Leading Aircraftman Sid Bell of Winchester
died on 12 August 1940 aged 38 during a raid on RAF
Lympne by
German Dornier 17, twin-engine bombers.
Kenneth Campbell of Pinner in Middlesex was a 28 year
old Pilot with 43 Squadron, Royal Air Force flying out
of RAF Northolt. He died on 29 July 1940 when his
Hawker Hurricane stalled over Brabourne Lees which
is near Ashford in Kent. Sergeant Geoffrey Pearson from
Witney in Oxfordshire was a pilot with RAF Volunteer
Reserve 501 Squadron based at RAF Gravesend. On
Friday 6 September 1940 his Hawker Hurricane was
shot down over Ashford. Sergeant Pearson was engaged
in an action to intercept enemy aircraft during which two
other 501 Squadron Hurricanes were shot down over the
usually tranquil villages of Elham and Charing.
At six minutes to four on the afternoon of Friday 30
August 1940 twenty Luftwafe aircraft broke off from
a large formation of bombers and raided RAF Lympne.
A hangar was destroyed and in a direct hit on an air raid
shelter five pilots were injured and six civilians died.
Of the civilian casualties Frederick Burvill (54), William
Diwell (56) and George Macklin (56), Alfred Salmon (56)
and Frederick Townsend all of Folkestone and Joseph
Down (48) of Postling near Hythe were buried
in the churchyard at St Stephen’s Lympne.
Does anyone remember the television advertisement with
these words spoken by the late, great Sir Bernard Miles?
It looks good, tastes good and, by golly, it does you good!
It was for Mackesons Stout brewed in Hythe from 1907
until 1968. Mackesons is still produced and sold in the
UK by Whitbreads but its what is known as a ghost brand
sold without advertising or promotion. During the Second
World War Mackesons was one of the biggest employers
in Hythe and tunnels built to keep the beer cool were put
to use as air raid shelters.
Jesse Trott nèe Ashford lived in Hythe during the Battle of
Britain. Here are some of her memories gathered as part of
the BBC Peoples War Archive.
I have vivid memories of the Battle of Britain and the
dogfights high in the skies above. One day in particular
I was coming home with my Dad when a German fighter
came over the hills behind Hythe followed by a Spitfire.
