History

West Malling was a very important operational fighter airfield during WW1. It played a pivotal role in beating the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain in 1940 and during the later years of the war in role of destroying the V1 or Doodlebug missiles which rained on London, which were responsible for much fear and destruction during the latter part of the war.

The airfield was located some 5 miles west of Maidstone in Kent and it began its life as a private landing ground in 1930, housing the Maidstone School of Flying. The runways were of grass and there was a wooden clubhouse and a canvas hangar. It changed its name in 1932 to the rather grand name of Maidstone Airport. Over the years the aerodrome became well known and many displays were held here. Alan Cobham and Amy Johnson flew into Malling.

Soon after war was declared the RAF moved in and it was to become one of the two stations of “C” Sector, the other being Biggin Hill. And it soon was built up into the important station which it became. The runways were converted from grass to asphalt and concrete, along with hangars, control tower and buildings which one would expect of a front line airfield.

Prior to 85 Squadron being posted to West Malling, it was home to 29 Squadron in 1941/42 under Wing Commander Guy Gibson.

West Malling was in the forefront of the war against the V1 menace. The squadrons based here devised various methods to achieve this task. The obvious one was to shoot it down but because of the fear of the explosion damaging the aircraft the distance for achieving a safe kill was too great and therefore was not really an option. The other method, which was just about as dangerous, was to fly along side the VI almost wing tip to wing tip and it was found that the turbulent airflow between the two wings caused the V.l to cause a mid-air stall due to the loss of lift on the wing surfaces. The V1 would then fall to earth, hopefully in not a densely populated area. This method became the standard for West Malling squadrons.

The station claimed responsibility for the destruction of 165 enemy aircraft, with 34 'probables' and 59 damaged as well as 280 V.ls destroyed. This was a superb achievement.

After the war the station remained active until the RAF stood down the station in 1961. The MOD saw no further use of the base and it appeared as though it was the end until the US Navy, under NATO, took over flying Neptunes, Convairs, Dakotas and Hercules aircraft. In 1963, however the Americans moved out to Blackbush and the airfield was again deserted.

In 1970 Kent County Council purchased the site from the MOD for £475,000 to quote, "protect it from undesirable development"! The only flying that occurred after this, apart from gliding, was when the airfield was chosen as the setting for the TV wartime series “We'll Meet Again.

Since then the developers have gradually made further and further inroads into what was one of the most important RAF stations of the War. Due to the expanding business and residential development 618 Gliding School had to leave in September 1994. Now it seems that the former airfield is the home to excavators and golfers.

Currently the control tower which is a Listed Building is disused but it may be converted into a restaurant.

Evp

The Team

Kim Slater, Dean Thomas ,Colin Miles, Patrick Noble,
Ian Batchelor, Sarah Smith, Viven Powell

Weather: Warm and dry

Location Temp: 25.8c

Barometer: 1017.01

Humidity: 66.7%

Sea Level: 125ft above

Moon Phase: 74.4% Waxing Gibbous

11.30pm: Team arrive at location

Equipment is installed -

cctv - Cam 1 Offices Lounge
Cam 2 Officers Mess

Motion Sensors Main Door

Trigger Objects - Bullet and small plane - Post room

Evp – Room 11

Baseline Tests -

Ian conducts baseline tests whilst equipment is set up.

Officers Lounge:

Emf: Variable 0 -0.5mg

Cables detected: Lighting and Sockets

Pipes detected: Central heating pipes

Electrical appliances: mic system, overhead projector

Air vents: None

Draughts: None

Temp: 26.4c

East Wing Loft:

Emf: 1.0mg

Cables detected: Lighting, fire detection system

Pipes detected: Large heating pipes

Electrical appliances: None

Air vents: None

Draughts: None

Temp: 24.8c

2.30am: Dean, Colby, Ian and Paddy take a walk round of the west wing whilst
Kim, Sarah and Viv head for the east wing.

Please read two separate accounts of each teams time in these areas.

Dean, Colby, Paddy and Ian

12.51am: Group take a series of photographs. Paddy's camera batteries start to fail
Fully charged at start of investigation.

The guys enter Room 11 where there has been a previous sighting of an
airman. The guys undertake an evp experiment.

1.07am: The guys leave Room 11 and enter the corridor where Colby can smell
pipe tobacco, the rest of the guys can also smell this.

The guys make there way to Room 27 and call for spirit communication.
No response.

1.18am: Paddy can see a white light through the glass above the door.
There was no explanation for this as the guys were the only people in the wing.

Colby and Paddy both hear a thud above in the loft.
No one was in the loft at this time.

1.27am: The guys move to the West Wing loft.

All the guys hear a loud bang similar to an explosion, not unlike a boom.

Spirit communication is asked for.

No response.

Colby is touched on the hand by something, everyone else feels uneasy.

The guys then move to the other end of the loft.

Spirit communication is asked for.

No response.

Colby's batteries fail in one of his cameras.

They were fully charged before the investigation.

1.50am: Break

Kim,Viv and Sarah

12.50am: The girls make there way to the east wing loft.

1.00am: The girls take photographs and some film footage.

Kim sets up a digital voice recorder for possible evp recording.

Several whispers were recorded.

Lots of movement can be seen at the other end of the loft by the girls. They
all claim to be able to see shadows moving in the dark.

This movement could be due to the light playing tricks on the girls eyes.

1.05am: Viv can sense a tall uniformed man standing over Kim.
At this time Kim can also sense a strong presence behind her, and she can
feel the presence starting to move into her. Kim senses the name Gregory
Armstrong.

Viv communicates with the spirit behind Kim, and explains that they mean
him no harm. She asks for him to step away from Kim.

Viv and Sarah feel uncomfortable with the situation and request they leave.

The girls leave the loft and stand in the corridor discussing their encounter.

1.30am: The girls enter the Officers Mess.

Kim sets up digital voice recorder for possible evp recording.

Nothing was detected on the recorder.

Several taps are heard by all the girls when communication was asked for.

These noises could have been some of the appliances located in the Mess.

Whispers can be heard at the end of the Mess by Viv and Sarah. Sarah
can also see lights at the far end of the room.

Viv can see people walking down the corridor at the far end.

There was no other person in the wing.

Kim calls for communication, by way of light sound or touch.

No response.

1.50am: The girls break.

After a short break the group split again to investigate each others areas.

Dean, Colby, Paddy and Ian

2.13am: The guys enter the East wing loft.

Video Vigil transcript – East Wing loft

Time into tape

0.00 Vigil Starts

Colby asks for spirit, asks for a noise or other sign, Ian pans loft with
camcorder. No response.

1.43 Dean asks Colby to call again, Colby asks for spirit to tap, move something, refers to trigger objects placed around building. No response and trigger objects did not move.

3.12 Dean calls for spirit and asks for the spirit the girls encountered to make a noise/touch someone. Says we knew spirit was there and asked for proof. No response

4.09 Noise heard, Colby's camera shutting down.

4.20 Paddy hears a knock and mentions Ian did too as he saw Ian react and look in the same direction. Dean says also heard it and saw Ian turn around. Ian pans with camcorder but nothing picked up.

4.39 Dean asks for spirit to repeat the sound we just heard. No response

5.30 Group discussion, all felt uncomfortable at start of vigil but easier now.

6.13 Ian reacts to a touch on his arm. Possibly a cobweb.

6.25 Cobly states it's 2.32 am. Dean comments on why spirit is in the loft, what use would the loft have been to the RAF? Group discusses for short while.

7.10 Colby suggests asking again or moving to another location, group decides to try one more time. Colby asks for spirit, adding that group will leave soon but would like communication before they left. Asks for a noise a tap or couple of taps. Colby ends request by saying we mean you know harm.

8.16 An intake of breath is heard followed by a voice possibly saying Armstrong or I'm trying? None of group reacts to this as is not heard at the time. (see video clip) Please view our website.

8.30 Dean stands and walks around loft. Colby suggests that may the spirit the girls encountered had followed them?

Ian radios Kim to ask if all ok, she replies that nothing happening at their location.

9.0 Group leaves loft and vigil ends.

2.35am: The guys leave the loft.

2.53am: The guys then move onto Room 34 and ask for communication.

No response.

The guys then move onto the Officers lounge.

Kim,Viv and Sarah

2.13am: The girls enter the West wing.

They enter several rooms and ask for spirit communication.

No response.

2.30am: The girls enter the West wing loft. Kim asks for communication.

No response.

The girls sit quietly in the loft. They all comment that they feel very comfortable
sitting there unlike their previous encounter in the East wing.

2.50am: The girls head back to join the guys. Kim is in the toilet when Viv and Sarah
hear a bang at the end of the West wing corridor, by the steps to the loft. Sarah
passes the steps and hears a shuffle of feet.

3.02am: The girls meet up with the guys in the Officers lounge.

The whole group sit quietly and take photographs.

Spirit communication is asked for by each of the group.

No response.

3.14am: Viv sees someone walk by the door in the corridor. She leaves the room to check
the area.

No one else is in the building and all the team are accounted for.

3.37am: The whole team move to the Officers reading room to conduct a seance.

3.39am: seance begins, below is the video transcript.

Time into tape.

2.6 Viv calls for spirit, asks for noise or touch - No immediate response.

3.15Noise heard from radiator.

3.20 Viv asks for a repeat of that noise - No response.

4.00 Viv asks again No response.

4.5 Noise heard from cameras shutting down, Viv continues asking for spirit – No response.

6.00 Colby calls for spirit.

6.9 Double knock heard on tape, Viv looks up almost reacting to this but no one else notices it. Knocks are followed by a low audible noise of what sounds like voices?

6.15Colby continues to ask for spirit. No response.

7.10 Colby asks for a tap and carries on asking for spirit - No response.

9.40 Colby asks if group is feeling anything? None are but Viv says the name Johnson comes to mind. And the words Johnson controls. Kim comments that the Emf reading is high.

11.30 Dean asks for spirit, for a knock or a touch.

11.37 Dean says has pins and needles up leg, Sarah thinks saw movement behind Dean, which coincides with feeling in legs?

11.56 Dean calls for spirit. No response.

12.50 Ian feels hair on forehead moving or being touched? Dean still feels pins and needles.

13.55 Ian calls for spirit. No response.

14.1 Colby says saw a light by the curtains, possibly a car. Group discusses this, shouldn't be a car as we were at the rear of the building away from the road?

14.23 Ian calls for spirit again. No response.

15.18 Viv feels the temperature dropping, Ian feels draft over his fingers, group agree temperature has dropped. Emf at 3mg, was 0.0mg at start and moved between 1 & 3 mg during the seance.

16.9 Sarah says feeling a tickling sensation on face, Colby comments that something could be working its way around the group?

16.40 Ian asks for spirit again? Kim says feels itchy on her face, cheeks and along her top lip, almost like a mustache?

18.0 Team end seance and relax and discuss experiences.

4.38am: Team take a break.

4.55am: The whole team return to the East wing loft.

Viv, Kim and Sarah return to the same area as before and encounter the
the same spirit again. Viv and Kim call the spirit by name, Armstrong as
they believe him to be. Once again Kim senses someone behind her.

The guys stand by and watch the events unfurl, taking pictures.

5.24am: The whole group decide to try table tipping.

With no results the group take several more photographs.

5.35am: Investigation Ends.