The Ghosts of Biggin Hill

An evocation of place and memory. The film juxtaposes the recollections of fighter pilots, ground crew and WAAFs who served at RAF Biggin Hill during the Battle of Britain with contemporary and archival footage of the base. We made this film in the early 1990s, when the buildings were deserted and threatened with demolition, and the film intercuts images of the near-destruction of the station in 1940 with the demolition of buildings at RAF West Malling, another 11 Group fighter station, that was then being redeveloped. The film features memories of Tony Bartley, Peter Brothers, 'Titch' Havercroft, H.M. Stephens, 'Dimsie' Stones, and many other famous pilots. Many of the most moving recollections, however, are from those unsung heroes, the ground crew, who experienced months of intense bombing, including a direct hit on a packed air raid shelter.