Hawkinge is famed for its use during World War
II as an airfield, being the closest to France. In St Luke's
church is the Battle of Britain Memorial window, depicting
The Pilots of 32 Squadron at Hawkinge in July 1940.
Left to right are P/O R F Smythe, P/O J
E Proctor, P/O P M Gardner, P/O K R Gillman, Fl/Lt P M Brothers, P/O
D H Grice, P/O A F Eckford
the plaque, left, is placed by the Memorial window pane
There is also a memorial to the Fallen of the Great War, including
civilian casualties.
The inscription reads:
| I am the resurrection and the life In
grateful remembrance of the undernamed men of this parish
who made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War 1914-1918
also of parishioners who were killed in the air raid on
Folkestone on 25th May 1917 Herbert Byron Andrews
Rowland George Bailey
Percy Thomas Bailey
Cyril Edward Bailey
Frederick Horace Barton
Frederick John Bridges
William Frederick Brisley
Walter Charles Brisley
Percy John Brisley
Lewis Alfred Brisley
Stephen Thomas Castle
Alfred George Fagg
Gordon Feist
Frederick Albert Ernest Marsh
Charles Marsh
John Seath Parks
Alfred Philpott
Ernest Rye
Frank Irving Pascoe Wells Air Raid Victims Nellie Feist
Stanley Feist
Albert Dennis Daniels |
St Luke's church was dedicated on 5 December
1959, eventually replacing St Michael's church which was declared
redundant in 1980 after the centre of the village had moved.
The location of the Battle of Britain memorial
window may be seen left; it is the opaque pane that is just below
the right arm of the white cross.
We were informed that a back room at the White Horse public house,
along the road from the church, was used as a morgue when pilots
crashed in the area. The 95 war graves in the cemetery at Hawkinge
are mainly those of airmen, with around a quarter of them having
died in the Battle of Britain.
