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RAF Joyce Green
Joyce Green, at Long Reach, near Dartford, was one of the first Royal Flying Corps (RFC) airfields. It was established in 1911 by Vickers Limited (the aircraft and weapons manufacturer) who used it as an airfield and testing ground. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the RFC followed and established a base. Subject to frequent flooding and a reputation as being unsuitable and too dangerous for training, it was eventually replaced by a more suitable site at RAF Biggin Hill. There were two parts to Joyce Green's military operations; the RFC, and the Wireless Experimental establishment. The latter were the first to move out in 1917 (after exhaustive searching south of London) when they found an ideal site on a farmer's field near the village of Biggin Hill; the RFC were soon to recognize the new site's suitability for flying and its strategic location, and soon followed, transferring there on 13 February 1917. The RFC took with them their Bristol Fighters, leaving Joyce Green ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long Reach, Kent
Long Reach is a low-lying area north of Dartford, Kent, in southeast England, on the south side of the River Thames, east of Erith and the River Darent. It was the site of a pub (the Long Reach Tavern), a fireworks factory, a smallpox hospital and, from 1911, a Vickers airbase that later became RAF Joyce Green. It also gives its name to a Thames Water sewage treatment works. The area is named after the Long Reach (a name given to the longest straight stretch of a river), the stretch of the Thames between St Clement's Reach and Erith Rands. Landmarks Long Reach Tavern (c. 1800s-1957) The Long Reach Tavern was a riverside pub that had a jetty extending into the Thames, enabling its use by barge and tugboat crews. It was recorded as a tied house of the Fleet Brewery in 1865, and in 1866 hosted a bare-knuckle boxing championship match between James Mace and Joseph Goss. Damaged by the North Sea flood of 1953, it was demolished in 1957 to allow construction of new flood embankme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
