R.A.F Kenley's Hardest Day in the Battle of Britain, and the nearby graves that tell the story
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- Before what we now remember as "Battle of Britain Day" (15th September 1940), came "The Hardest Day". This occurred on 18th August 1940 and earned its name because more aircraft were destroyed on that day, on both sides, than any other. R.A.F Kenley, a prime target for the German Luftwaffe, took a terrible beating. Many of those who died were buried in a nearby churchyard, where their military graves remain beautifully maintained. This video shows the site and explains its unbreakable bond with Kenley Airfield.
Great video and tribute to those men and women who served and serve in the RAF👍
Many thanks for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
My respect to all ..
Never we're those words of Churchill so true..
Rest in peace..
Britain's greatest generation.
I salute you all
❤
I wholeheartedly agree with you, and many thanks for your comment! If you haven't already seen it, please also take a look at the video I made about Sergeant (Pilot) Peter Walley, who was killed in the Battle of Britain and whose grave also appears briefly in this film. Any further comments would also be greatly appreciated!
I will do..
I watch everything connected with ww2
Thank you for your efforts you put in the making..
The Luftwaffe threatened to turn up en masse sadly lots of people of both factions did not make it home never just statics
Sgt Peter Walley was part of 615 Squadron and was shot down by 109s trying to defend Kenley airfield on August 18th. It seems his aircraft was badly damaged but rather than bale out, Walley stayed aboard to try and steer it away from the St Helier Estate in Morden as his stricken plane came down. Eyewitnesses were testament to this, who also heard the engine on his Hurricane screaming away in an effort to aim it at open ground. Walley succeeded but at the cost of his own life. He crashed to his death on Morden Golf Course. A plaque was unveiled in his honour at Merton College, which had been built on the site of the crash, in 1972 and Walley’s mother attended the ceremony. When the college was extended in 1990, the plaque was relocated and can now be found on the far right hand side at the front of the main building. I live close by and visit on occasion, during the summer under Battle of Britain skies, just to say thank you.
That's nice. It's great that he's still remembered. Sometimes, it's easy for people to forget that it's about far more than just a gravestone or a name on a memorial. Thank you for watching. 👍
Really interesting, thanks
Thank you for your comment, and I'm glad you enjoyed the film. I'm currently working on a video that focuses upon the heroic story of one of the pilots killed that day and whose grave was shown briefly in this film. Please subscribe and press the notification bell if you'd like to be informed when it's available.
Went gliding there with the air cadets many years ago .
That's great. Gliding remains the primary use of the airstrip today. I'll be uploading a new Kenley-related video in a day or two. Please subscribe and pres the notification bell if you'd like to be informed when it's available.
I went to Kenley last year, a very quiet and sombre place. Just to correct you slightly, only gliders fly from Kenley now the MOD haven't let powered aircraft use it for a long time now.
Great British heroes, thanks ❤❤
Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting. It is greatly appreciated. If you haven't already seen them, you'll find several videos on my channel relating to Airmen's Corner and R.A.F Kenley. Hopefully, there will also be more to come. 👍
Died protecting the shores of Great Britain so sad that we are selling them down the Swanny
We owe more than can ever be repaid.
My mate was in the Merchant Navy during the war his mates would have loved a grave not a mention of them,We used to drink in the Royal Navy Club & the British Legion he had to sign in to them during the war the Merchant Navy got hammered no medals no statues nothing and all we talk about is a few hundred University types with good spin doctors.The Germans had the same pilots doing the same job they flew until they were killed defending Germany with better results.All brave men all forces.The Germans and the Japanese looked after their old soldiers not like us.
@O know The role of the mechant navy in World War II is indeed overlooked all too often. On convoy duty, for example, the sailors ran enormous risks, and there was very heavy loss of life, particularly from German "Wolfpack" submarine attacks. Winston Churchill once said that the only thing that really frightened him in the war was the U-Boat. He knew they had the ability to starve Britain into surrender, and in was the sacrifices of merchant navy that prevented that.
totally grave brave people but looking at us today all in vain
Sadly, many people forget what they owe.
It WASN'T in "vain" Bob.
Consider yourself lucky that we had such people as these who protected our nation, and that both you and I have lived our lives (nearly 60 years in my case) in peace and quiet in a democracy. If our nation had not had people of the calibre of these young men, who stepped upto the plate in our greatest time of crisis, then all of us born since would have lived in a nazi puppet state with a totalitarian govt, death camps in the Cotswolds, Pennines and Scottish Highlands, and SS Einsatzgruppen "death squads" stalking the shires looking for "undesirables"... not to mention all UK males of working age being deported to the reich to be slaved to death in nazi armaments factories or infrastructure projects.
I APPRECIATE the EASY life we were gifted by that generation every day of my adult life. The fact that dark globalist forces are now intent on destroying the future of independent sovereign nations is NOT a result of our nation's efforts then, but the growth of stateless global corporations since.