Surrey in the Battle of Britain

The first in a series of books detailing the air battles and wartime activity over Britain focuses on the leafy 'stockbroker' county of Surrey.

The skies that are now full of charter flights from Gatwick and international arrivals heading for Heathrow once echoed with the roar of engines and the clatter of machinegun fire as young men fought to the death in Spitfires and Messerschmitts.

This book records for the first time Surrey's decisive part in the legendary "Battle of Britain"; the devastating attacks on the airfields at Croydon, Kenley and Brooklands, and the battles fought overhead.

It is possible to walk around Surrey unaware of many historical events and happenings as so few have attracted permanent memorials.

The aim of this work is to make the reader more aware of the history of their own region and hopes to stimulate further research by readers in the future; this can be immensely satisfying, as one never quite knows where such an undertaking may lead to.

The accounts gathered many years ago have now been combined with reports from the National Archives that have recently been released to provide the most comprehensive account possible.