An evocative film, but don't forget that Hawker Hurricanes also flew from there. My father was a Leading Aircraftman at Biggin Hill during the Battle of Britain.
Don't don't don't mess with the best as thay say in rolls Royce terms sufficient (power is developed) no fxxxxxg problems rest in peace all who may be concerned end of 😊😊😊😊😊😊❤
My father Sgt George Reid and his family lived in Biggin Hill during the 1950's.. as children we could still dig machine gun bullets out the surrounding valley surface, we assumed they were delivered by the Luftwaffe..
An evocation of place and memory. The film juxtaposes the recollections of fighter pilots, ground crew and WAAFs who served at RAF Biggin Hill during the Battle of Britain with contemporary and archival footage of the base. We made this film in the early 1990s, when the buildings were deserted and threatened with demolition, and the film intercuts images of the near-destruction of the statio …😆😁😄😃😀😇
I am from India an have the book NIGHT FIGHTER by C. F. Rawnsley and John Cunningham. A must read. Biggin Hill is to the west of West Malling and east of Kenley aerodromes in the South-east sector of mid war England(p.74)"Biggen Hill had featured prominently in the Battle of Britain"p.235 ibid. The book was handed over to me by my late grandfather L. L. Reade(look up)
My dad was working on the airfield when they made the movie Battle of Britain ,I went with for 3 days ,,very cool ,,made me think of the brave polish and commonwealth airman ,,,the bravest if the brave ,,we owe you our future
Military men and women the world over have similar memories of their service. Places they served and loved and the people they met and things they did and endured on occasion. I have such memories, they are priceless. My old pals aren’t ghosts either, the British Army regroups in heaven. Wherever that might be ha ha!
Thank you so much for this salute to our boys and girls who served at Biggin on the Bump, such an enchanting place when we think what went on there during the Battle of Britain and before of course. The graves of the personnel that were killed at BH are a poignant reminder of the sacrifice given, and the voices of the people that were there and are now also sadly gone is such a moving moment. Brilliant documentary, and absolutely needed, lest we forget.
I used to play 5va side cricket in one of the hangers in my teens,in a netted off area full of WW2 British and German aircraft. This is where whatscat Duxford should be and a reminder where we fought and not let invaders of our beaches in and accomadate . It was also when we all mostly lived on the Continent where we naturally belong. These men who died and were maimed would wonder why they bothered.
Preserve Biggin Hill? Comments below ask about this. It is possible to visit this still active airfield. Don't miss the pubs nearby where the airmen used to relax. As far as I know and I grew up near and visited many times Biggin Hill so could tell you a few tales there is a museum journey begins over 100 years ago when RAF Biggin Hill was just farmland. One of Britain's oldest aerodromes, RAF Biggin Hill is still internationally recognised as Sir Winston Churchill's 'strongest link' which became the station motto. During your visit, you can freely explore the main chapel, gardens, café and shop. There used to be a Spitfire and Hurricane parked outside the chapel. A am told they have been replaced with 'replicas', the aura won't have departed.
TELL THOSE FUCKING BLOODY BARSTARDS TRYING TO DO ANY DEMOLITION WORK TO BIGGIN ,TO FUCK OFF ,THIS IS FAMOUS WW2 HISTORY , I WILL PERSONALLY BEAT THE FUCKING SHIT OUT OF CUNTS LIKE THEM ,TRYING TO DO THIS DAMAGE.
Thank you, whenever I hear the roar of the mighty Merlin I get goosebumps, and a little emotional, I served as an aircraft engineering technician in Her Majesty’s Royal Air Force for 24 years, following in my father’s, grandfathers and great grandfathers (RFC & RAF) footsteps, and I am very proud to say my son followed in my footsteps, but I always think of those men and women who gave so much, some of whom gave everything, in defence of this many splendored isle, and I am disgusted by the disgraceful way that their sacrifices are treated by successive governments, in the period directly after WWII you can understand that immortalising now surplus airfields was not exactly a priority, however there has been plenty of opportunities since then for some of the more important and well known bases to be preserved as a tribute to all that served, but no, that hasn’t happened, and now it probably won’t ever happen, and I can’t understand why, all governments since WWII have bleated on about how much they respect and give thanks to our armed forces, past, present and future, but that is as far as it goes, they are ALL two faced liars, the depth of their respect lasts a little over 2 minutes on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, usually accompanied by the sound of silence and a lone bugler. It’s extraordinary how money can be found to refurbish the Houses of Parliament, or build a new high speed railway line that will only benefit the few (the rest of us can’t afford rail-fares) season ticket holders and the Uber rich, but find money to immortalise the few, or the many?, Nope can’t be done, and what about the National Trust?, The National Lottery, or goodness forbid, the ministry of defence, Nope, they are to busy propping up derelict castles or houses that someone famous lived in for a week, the National Lottery are to busy giving handouts to the cause of the moment, especially if they don’t deserve it, and the M.O.D are far to busy finding ways to waste the budget on computer systems that don’t work (twice during my service), aircraft carriers that don’t actually do what the navy asked for and light tanks that are so far behind schedule and so far over budget that IF they ever enter service they will be obsolete by the time the paints dry on the outside. The ONLY way that anything connected with preserving our military heritage happens is if volunteers do everything the government should, raising the capital just to buy the land, then the capital to restore the airfield, army base or navy ship, then the capital for buying period furniture, artefacts etc, and finally finding the capital to actually run the finished project, and even then they wouldn’t get any help from the government, nope, not a bean, but you can bet your last penny that some high profile politician or civil servant would decide that THEY should open this new and inspiring tribute to the armed forces, because THEY were the driving force behind it, BEHIND is the operative word. Sorry for going on and on like the energiser bunny but this is a subject close to my heart, and if I were still able bodied and without mental health issues I would have been one of the people trying to rectify the government’s very limited, if not nonexistent, respect and honour for our armed forces. Thanks for sharing this very interesting and emotive topic, I promise that I have put my soapbox away, vented my spleen and finished my adaptation of War and Peace, and to anyone who manages to read all the way to this point a massive thank you and thumbs up 👍. RIP all that have, are and will serve our country, thanks to all our veterans, and remember, Lest We Forget. Per Ardua Ad Astra. ☹️😡🥲👍🇬🇧🏴
Absolutely spot on mate!! I agree with you entirely. I only hope that just such a Station be preserved to stand for the many, and, for all those who fought - and in too many cases died - so that we can remain free!! Lest we forget!! 👍
I heard from a reliable source that at a certain time of year at night security staff have heard the sound of what they believed to be a WW2 bomber over the RAF museum in Hendon they hear the engines and then it goes quiet ,Ghosts of the past ?
“And by saving [Britain], they saved humanity.” Is he kidding me?? The pilots saved Britain, all right, but _DEFINITELY NOT_ humanity. The US and Canada were still around, with nearly impossible invasion logistics bc of the size of the continent, unmatched natural resources everywhere, and the incredible ability to jump to a war production footing very quickly. Too much hyperbole, so I’m done after 1 minute!
Very strange how we brits treat our historical buildings.In viet nam the tunnels and traps are preserved for tourists.If Biggin hill were restored I am sure many tourists would pay to visit.A shame to see it being destroyed. Stay safe happy new year :}
What a lovely film. My grandfather was stationed here as an engineer in 1941, and his brother (my great uncle) a flt cmdr. He moved out to South Africa when the RAF did the training out there, and never returned to the UK. I was born there and grew up there and he passed when I was in my early 20's. Now in my late 40's, I have moved to England with my family. We visited the site recently and it was a profoundly moving experience for me. I wish I had asked him more questions about his time here.
