Most readers will associate Kent with the Battle of Britain and that legacy is widely commemorated. Far less well known is the county’s role in the ‘golden age’ of British aviation: it was the venue of the inaugural flight by a British national, the birthplace of naval flying and home of the world’s first aircraft manufacturer.
With a unique workshop and absorbing museums in the itinerary, this is not a one-day excursion: Rochester/Chatham, Leysdown, Canterbury or Margate/ Ramsgate are suggested as possible ‘base camps’ – COVID-19 permitting. The outing has been structured west to east, but it could be tackled in any order, depending on your ‘launch pad’.
While the route concentrates on trailblazers, never fear, it includes a helping of Battle of Britain and even the Dambusters.
Having started building aeroplanes on the Isle of Sheppey, the Short brothers – Oswald, Horace and Eustace – moved from Eastchurch to the east bank of the River Medway at Rochester in 1913.
Before we go any further, is it Short, Short’s or even Shorts’? In late 1947, the company marketing department announced it was to be known as Shorts. This was explained as not being plural, or possessive, but as a contraction of Short Brot…
