This very nice booklet, which contains such an amount of photographs and a handful of illustrations as well, will tell you about aircraft in action in Kent ( England ) during the First World War.

Aviation book
Introduction
At the outset of war, an airship was set up at Capel - le - Ferne, near Folkestone, to provide escort for troopships crossing between Dover and Folkestone and France. Later, ’ mooring - out ’ sub - stations were established at Godmersham Park Ashford and at Wittersham on the Kent - Sussex border. Kite balloons were flown from ships, storage and repair bases for them being established at Lydd, Hythe an Sheerness. New airship designs were developed at Kingsnorth. Patrols by seaplanes were flown from Westgate and Grain.
The first aircraft for the British Expeditionary Force flew to France from Swingate, near Dover Castle. Futher refuelling and ferry fields were set up at Hawkinge and Lympne.
Zeppelin raids in 1915 led to Home Defence aerodromes becoming operational at Bekesbourne, Detling and Throwley, near Faversham. Raids by twin - engined Gotha bombers in 1917 brought urgent steps to strengthen home defence. Dover, Throwley, Detling and Penshurst had fighter Squadrons.
Training schools for observers were set up at Eastchurch and Manston ; air gunnery at Hythe ( Pelmarsh ), New Romney / Littlestone, and Leysdown ; pilots at Manston, Joyce Green, and Wye ; while radio techniques were developed at Biggin Hill.
Emergency landing grounds were set up at Allhallows, Broadsalts ( Sandwich ), Farningham, Frinstead ( Rochester ), Grove Park, Guilton ( Sandwich ), harty, Kings Hill ( Maidstone ), Leigh Green ( Tenterden ) Lydd, Marden, Pluckley, Plumstead Marshes, Sheerness, Sole Street ( Canterbury ), South Ash ( Wrotham ) and Swingfield ( Folkestone ).
Night fighters were developed to meet the new menace of night bombing and the first embryo Squadrons were formed at Biggin Hill, Detling, Throwley, Harrietsham and South Ash. On the last big night raid on 28th May 1918, five of 22 raiders were shot down.
At the end of the First World War, many of the aerodromes were relinquished, emergency landing grounds returned to farmland, and airship and seaplane bases abandoned. Some slight evidence of their existence remains - the slipway at Westgate, the hangar base at Capel.
David G. Collyer

David G. Collyer ( 1937 - ? ) was born in Deal ( Kent, England ). He was a local avid historian and founder member of the Kent Aviation Historical Research Society as well. A retired Merchant Navy officer, he was a regular contributor to national and local history magazines, radio and TV.
David G. Collyer was the author of several books, such as : Battle of Britain Diary : July - September 1940 ( 1980 ), Flying : The Pioneer Years in Kent ( 1982 ), Shellfire Memories : Some reminiscences of East Kent 1938 - 1945. Volume II ( 1993 ), East Kent at War ( 1994 ), Deal and District at War ( 1995 ).
( sources : Internet, amazon )