West Malling began as an emergency landing gorund for Detling Airfield after WW1. In 1930 PH Meadway based his company Kent Aeronautical Services at the site. After a shortlived change of ownership, in 1934 the airfield was taken over by Malling Aviation and became the home of Malling Aero Club.

In 1939 the site was taken over and expanded by the Air Ministry as RAF West Malling. New grass runways strengthened by Sommerfield Tracking were laid, a watch office and other buildings and hangers erected and the airfield became a satellite of Biggin Hill. It played little part in the Battle of Britain base as series of night bombing raids rendered the airfield unserviceable although it became a leading night fighter station from 1941. In 1944 it played a key role in the 1944 campaign, Operation Diver, to defend the south east against the V1 flying bomb. Between August 1944 and June 1945 the airfield was expanded, with new H-block accommodation, and new concrete runways built to accommodate the new Meteor jet fighter.

With the end of the war West Malling became the main rehabilitation centre for prisoners of war returning from Germany. With the strenthened runway the station was used for peacetime training until the 1960's when it was placed on "care and maintenance" finally closing in 1964. Shortly after this for two years the airfield was used by the US Navy Air Service before being aquired by Kent County Council in 1970.

It was used in the early 1970's as a reception centre for Ugandan Asians and then a short-lived commerical airfield used by Metair.

From the 1990s the site became developed as a Business Park and for executive housing. Part of the airfield became a golf-course. This ongoing process has involved the reuse of H-blocks as offices and the erection of new buildings. As a result of this redevelopment a number of buildings have been demolished including an important J-type hanger, battle headquarters, dispersal pens and baffles for jet aircraft. Some imprtant features have survied such as a rare Bofors AA gun tower TQ 65 NE 93, a Picket-Hamilton Fort TQ 65 NE 95 which have been scheduled along with a Type-24 pillbox TQ 65 NE 66.(1-2)

Much of the Beatles 1967 film 'Magical Mystery Tour' was filmed in and around West Malling airfield.

<1> Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2001, WWII Bofors AA Gun Tower, Pickett-Hamilton Fort and Pillbox: West Malling Fighter Station (Scheduling record). SKE7928.

<2> Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders, 2001, Kent's Defence Heritage (Unpublished document). SKE6956.