Facts about Hawkinge
General Info
The original village of Hawkinge is actually just less than a mile due east of the present village centre the modern, much larger, the village of Hawkinge was formed by the merging of Hawkinge and Uphill. Walking south from the village past it is possible to see stunning views of Cheriton, Folkestone and the Channel Tunnel complex. The A260 which runs from Folkestone to Barham, where it meets with the A2 to Canterbury originally ran through the centre of the village, before it was replaced with a new bypass opened by Michael Howard on Monday 9 July 2007.
History
During World War II, RAF Hawkinge was the closest operational airfield to France and was used during the Battle of Britain. Depending on the further building, the population is still expected to grow to 11,000. The construction of the houses was hampered by the discovery of several pipe bombs, put there in the event of a German invasion to render the airfield useless to enemy aeroplanes. There are several reminders of the war in and near the site of the original village.
Hawkinge Cemetery is near the site of the aerodrome and most of the 95 Second World War casualties buried there were airmen. About a quarter were killed during the Battle of Britain. Most of the war graves are in a special plot east of the chapel, including 59 German graves, which are together in a group at the south-eastern corner.
