NEWSLETTER Page 2 KENLEY REVIVAL PROJECT · Newsletter № 15 January 2014 Welcome to our fifteenth newsletter. In this issue we will update you on our Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)

Newsletter № 15 January 2014

Welcome to our fifteenth newsletter. In this issue we will update you on our Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid for funds to cover our conservation work at the airfield and the pe-ripheral work necessary to win the bid known as the Kenley Revival Project. There is also lots of other news to inform you of so look inside.

Chris Baguley

CONTENTS

Page 2 Kenley Revival

Project

Page 3 Heritage Trail

Page 4 Airfield Heritage Day &

Changes at the Top

Pages 5 Sqn Ldr Caesar Hull to 7

Page 7 Membership News

Page 8 What’s On

NEWSLETTER Kenley Airfield Friends Group

Community Heritage Conservation

www.kafg.org.uk

As advised in the last newsletter the project has now entered

the development phase. This allows us £56,000.00 in imple-mentation money. Our first action was to recruit a profession-

al Project Development Officer (PDO), interviews for this im-portant post took place on 11th December and an appoint-

ment made next day. The PDO is currently assessing the re-quirements of the project to determine what the needs are to

achieve the outcomes that the project criteria demands and most importantly to take us through to Stage 2.

In the run up to winning this award we have made much em-

phasis on the fact that volunteers will be required for the vari-ety of tasks that are foreseen. A number of members have

asked to join the volunteer list, at the moment I cannot be specific about jobs on offer, the PDO will draw up those speci-

fications. If you would like to volunteer to help then my list is

divided into two columns, one for those who are able to do physical work and those preferring to do clerical type work.

Don’t hesitate to call me (020 8660 8271) or by e-mail [email protected]

Fundraising to assist the cash element of match funding has

gone well. Several members have been very generous whilst three Resident’s Associations have made substantial dona-

tions. A decent cheque was received from Waitrose at Sanderstead from their Community Matters scheme and we

are also advised that the cheque from Coulsdon Branch will be decent too. This has taken us to just over half way to

reaching our £6000.00 target. Fundraising will continue until the target is reached and donations, no matter how small are

still welcome; a donation form is enclosed, we are and shall

be most grateful for your support.

We are now operating within the parameters of the project in providing clubs, groups and associations with presentations

Page 2 KENLEY REVIVAL PROJECT

As advised in the last newsletter the project has now entered

the development phase. This allows us £56,000.00 in imple-mentation money. Our first action was to recruit a profession-

al Project Development Officer (PDO), interviews for this im-portant post took place on 11th December and an appoint-

ment made next day. The PDO is currently assessing the re-quirements of the project to determine what the needs are to

achieve the outcomes that the project criteria demands and most importantly to take us through to Stage 2.

In the run up to winning this award we have made much em-

phasis on the fact that volunteers will be required for the vari-ety of tasks that are foreseen. A number of members have

asked to join the volunteer list, at the moment I cannot be specific about jobs on offer, the PDO will draw up those speci-

fications. If you would like to volunteer to help then my list is

divided into two columns, one for those who are able to do physical work and those preferring to do clerical type work.

Don’t hesitate to call me (020 8660 8271) or by e-mail [email protected]

Fundraising to assist the cash element of match funding has

gone well. Several members have been very generous whilst three Resident’s Associations have made substantial dona-

tions. A decent cheque was received from Waitrose at Sanderstead from their Community Matters scheme and we

are also advised that the cheque from Coulsdon Branch will be decent too. This has taken us to just over half way to

reaching our £6000.00 target. Fundraising will continue until the target is reached and donations, no matter how small are

still welcome; a donation form is enclosed, we are and shall

be most grateful for your support.

We are now operating within the parameters of the project in providing clubs, groups and associations with presentations

about the work of our group and the project progress. It is

important in relation to what HLF expect of us that we can provide statistical information about the number of presenta-

tions and attendance at the various events. Also year six pu-pils who have WWll in their curriculum can benefit from brief-

ings prior to a visit to the Airfield when a mobile classroom will be used to conduct tours. Those interested in receiving a

presentation, for which there is no cost, please contact me using the details above.

Page 3 KENLEY REVIVAL PROJECT (CONT’D)

THE HERITAGE TRAIL

We are pleased to announce that the remaining two Heritage

Trail Boards are now in place. One of them entitled the “Rifle Range’ overlooks the structure, it describes when it was built

and how it was used. The other is at the “Wattendon” en-trance to the common, it is quite prominent and can be seen

from Hayes Lane. This is entitled “Kenley Between the Wars” and contains some interesting information, continuing the

theme of the other seven boards. Adjacent to this board a bench has been constructed; this bench; ‘Mike’s Bench’ is

dedicated to the memory of our late secretary Mike Simpson who undertook a great deal of development work for the Her-

itage Trail and produced the original very informative trail leaflets. There is some regret that the City of London does not

allow commemorative plaques or even a carved inscription on any dedicated bequest; this is because there are so many be-

quests that it makes uniformity difficult. We are in process of

compiling a new and enlarged Heritage Trail leaflet to be in the bins soon. This leaflet will encourage membership of

KAFG as well as including a summary of Kenley’s interesting history. In compiling the information for the narrative of these

last two boards, sufficient narrative and images of Kenley pri-or to closure has been collected for at least two more boards

and also to update others.

The Group is now in the early stages of preparing our day in

2014. The date is 14th June; we hope to have the Invicta Mili-tary Preservation Society (IMPS) who will fill some of the field

with WWll period vehicles and equipment. The idea this year will be to make a walk to The Tribute including an introduction

to Surrey Hills Gliding Club (SHGC) passing the rifle range and the new Heritage Trail board, past a blast pen (BP) earmarked

for conservation and down to the Tribute where we expect to have the shelter open and with its lights on. Participants will

then be able to make their own way back perhaps via the dell so that the rifle range can be seen closer up. The Portcullis

Club will once again host the event and have their own “Open Day” as they did in 2012.

On the subject of events, we am advised that the “Empire Air

Day” postponed from last year has been postponed further and

will not now take place until 2015.

City of London Open Spaces has advised me that Bob Warnock was seconded to North London Open Spaces from January 6th.

Andy Barnard the Superintendent of Burnham Beeches has taken over the brief for Kenley . We wish both superintendents

success in their new roles and of course welcome Andy to Ken-ley, we hope to meet him soon.

We also understand that Sqn Ldr Keith Chandler will relinquish

the command of 615 Volunteer Gliding Squadron making way for Paul Reed who we met at our AGM three years ago.

Again our good wishes to Paul with whom we hope to continue to develop our relationships with 615.

Page 4 AIRFIELD HERITAGE DAY 2014

CHANGES AT THE TOP

Page 5 SQN LDR CAESAR HULL

I was privileged to attend the dedication of a memorial to this

airman on 11th November at 11am.

A “Condition” for the grant of Planning Permission for Coulsdon College was that public works of art should be commissioned.

The decision had been made that a memorial to Caesar Hull would be the first such work of art to be erected.

Sqn Ldr Hull took over command of 43 Sqn at Tangmere on

31st August 1940 the day following the death of Sqn Ldr Badger its previous CO. His early action as CO brought him 2 Bf110s

probably destroyed, a Bf109 destroyed and a share in the de-struction of a JU88 bomber. 43 Sqn was scrambled on 7th Sep-

tember to meet a large force of Do17 Bombers, escorted by Bf109’s heading our way. During the skirmish, Sqn Ldr Hull fly-

ing Hurricane V6641 was shot down and crashed in the

grounds of Purley High School as it was then called. It is under-stood locally that he crashed in a vain attempt to get to Ken-

ley.

Caesar was born in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) but the family moved to a farm in the Transvaal, South Africa when he was five. He

had a good education having boarded at a prestigious school in Johannesburg. He was a member of the Springbok boxing team

that came to the Empire Games at Wembley in 1934. After some difficulty due to not speaking Afrikaans he went as a ca-

det to the SAAF training school; he completed the course but was not allowed to embark on a career because of the lan-

guage difficulty. In 1935 he was awarded a short service com-mission in the RAF and after training joined 43 Sqn at

Tangmere in 1936. He rose through the ranks and became a

Flight Commander with 263 Sqn who were active in Scapa Flow operating from the aircraft carrier HMS Furious. Subsequently

he returned to 43 Sqn as its CO.

It was a quite moving little ceremony; but I think it is a nice

touch that the Council should insist on commemorations of this sort being embraced within the planning system. The memorial

itself is of a Hurricane encapsulated within a dove (of peace); it tells its story quite simply

Worthy of note is the address given by Flt Lt Alan Pollock, or

rather his background is.

In 1968, during the Cold War two matters were very relevant; the aviation industry was in decline with manned flight poten-

tially being displaced by guided missiles; not a small matter was the fact that this year was also the 50th anniversary of the

RAF. Pollock was very much aware of the low morale within No

1F Sqn and the RAF generally on both matters; he expressed great displeasure that no aerial displays had been planned to

mark this important anniversary.

On 4th April 1968 1 Sqn visited Tangmere where they perform-

Page 6 SQN LDR CAESAR HULL (CONT’D)

Page 7 SQN LDR CAESAR HULL (CONT’D)

ed a display to mark the closure of the station. Next day the

Sqn left for RAF West Raynham, Norfolk its home base. Soon after take off, Pollock detached himself from his colleagues to

“beat up” Dunsfold Aerodrome, home of the Hawker factory. Soon after, in a Hunter FGA9 XF442, he circled the House of

Commons three times at low level in a demonstration against Harold Wilson’s Government; he dipped his wings over the

Royal Air Force Memorial on the Embankment. To round this episode off he took his Hunter under the top span of Tower

Bridge much to the surprise of the passengers on the top deck of a bus crossing the bridge at the time. He journeyed on and

flew inverted at 200ft over three other airfields. On arrival at West Raynham he was arrested pending Court Martial. The

RAF controversially refused to Court Martial him but Pollock was subsequently invalided out of the RAF. Much to the gov-

ernment’s embarrassment Pollock went on to give interviews,

gaining much public support for the RAF by way of his reason-ing.

Alan Pollock was the fifth airman to fly through the 200ft wide

– 110ft deep Tower Bridge, clearly the fastest in an RAF fighter but first in a downstream direction. The absence of photog-

raphy is indicative of this feat not being at all premeditated. Flight International commented that “aviators agreed this to be

a handsome piece of flying”, whilst a letter writer commented that the adventurous spirit of the RAF was not dead!

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

At the time of writing about 70+ households haven’t renewed

for the 2013-2014 membership year. This gives me the task of writing to each of them and entailing the cost of postage and

stationery where they are not on e-mail or within walking dis-tance. The strength of the membership is so important to us so

thanks to those who have renewed and to those who already have taken up the Standing Order option.

PAGE 8 WHAT’S ON

15th March Fish & Chip Lunch Portcullis Club 12 noon

followed by a talk by local beekeeper Tim Burke. Admission: £7.50 per person There will also be a raffle. £1.00 (single) or

£3.00 (5 tickets). All proceeds go to the Wings Appeal. Registration required: please contact Evelyn Klein on

020 8668 7540 or email [email protected] It would help if you register early and pay on registration.

Please make cheques payable to ‘RAFA Kenley’ and post them to Evelyn Klein, 2 Maryhill Close, Kenley, CR8 5HU

(This event is open for RAFA members. However, if you are not a RAFA member, please let Evelyn know and they will admit

you as a guest on this occasion.)

10th May Brew for the Few Portcullis Club 3pm-6pm Afternoon tea, presentation by KAFG. The same details as

above apply.

14th June Airfield Heritage Day Portcullis Field

12noon – 4pm Airfield heritage walks, displays, sideshows, concours d’ele-

gance, IMPS, RAFA open day.

25th June KAFG AGM Douglas Brunton Centre

7.30pm - 9.30pm

TBN: BBMF Flypast