Above postcard, circa 1897, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo, 1904, by kind permission of Eric Hartland.

Above postcard, post-marked 1907.

Above postcard, date unknown.

Above photo, date unknown.

Above postcard by John Topham, date unknown, kindly sent by Peter Barnes.

Above postcard by John Topham, date unknown, kindly sent by Peter Barnes.

Above log book, 1932-61.

Note on the back said the following:- "Pilots from Biggin Hill drinking outside one of their favourite watering holes, the White Hart, Brasted. Landlady, Kath Preston, said that if the Luftwaffe had chosen to drop a bomb on the White Hart on a Saturday night in the summer of 1940, then the outcome of the Battle of Britain might well have been very different!"

Above photo, Thursday 16th July 1959. A reunion of some of the greatest RAF aces. From L to R. Air Commodore Jamie Rankin, DSO (& Bar) DFC (& Bar). Mr Teddy Preston, Licensee. Group Captain Adolph Gysbert "Sailor" Malan, DSO (& Bar) DFC (& Bar). Warrant Officer Ernest "Tubby" Mayne, AFC. Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

The above 1965 postcard, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe says the following:- The "White Hart Inn," Brasted, Kent, 1965. The bar that meets present-day tastes; old beams, horse brasses, open fireplace, flowers, warming pans, brightly polished furniture, stools, ice bucket, sandwich container. By the 1930s the motor car had made the run into the country popular; woman became willing to go into pubs away from their homes, and eventually into their local. The woman demanded cleanliness and cheerfulness, the "olde-worlde inns" attracted the new trade, and the brewers made sure that the customers got what they wanted. Beams have sprouted where none existed and the old bars of some village inns are no more than cocktail bars or ante-rooms to expensive restaurants. But by and large pubs are better places, and in most nowadays the traveller can get good food as well. The "White Hart" also supports its obvious attraction with one real claim to history, it was used by some of the most famous Battle of Britain pilots in the hot summer of 1940.

Above photo 1966, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

General der Jagdflieder, Adolf Galland (R) admires the signatures of Battle of Britain pilots, many of whom he fought against, on the famous White Hart blackout board. With him, is Wing Commander Bob Stanford-Tuck, who on 28th January 1942, was wined and dined by Galland's fighter group, JG 26, having been shot down over northern France. The two fighter aces became close friends after the war and in 1966 Stanford-Tuck was invited to be Godfather to Galland's son, Andreas. This picture was taken to publicise the launch of Stanford-Tuck's biography "Fly for Your Life."

Above photo 14th September 1969. Kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

A coachload of WW2 RAF fighter pilots stopped for a pint (or two!) en route to London, where the film "The Battle of Britain" was premiered the next day, at the Dominion Theatre. Between them, these members of The Few accounted for around 370 enemy aircraft, with many more being recorded as "probables" and "damaged."

From L to R:

1. Mrs Kathy Preston, Licensee

2. Group Captain Johnny Kent

3. Mrs Betty Rose

4. Group Captain Edgar Ryder

5. Air Vice Marshal Robert Deacon-Elliott

6. Wing Commander Jack "Bunny" Rose

7. Mrs Helen Kingab

8. Wing Commander Donald Kingaby

9. Group Captain Brian Kingcome

10. Miss Patricia Kingaby

11. Wing Commander Ralph "Titch" Havercroft

12. Wing Commander Robert Stanford-Tuck

13. Squadron Leader Gandy Drobinski

14. Flight Lieutenant Ludwik Martel

15. Wing Commander Paddy Barthropp

16. Air Commodore Ernest Wootten

17. Air Commodore Myles Duke-Woolley

What an amazing session that must have been!

Per Ardua Ad Astra - through difficulties to the stars: the motto of the RAF.

Above photo, 1969, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe. Landlord Teddy Preston, surrounded by Battle of Britain RAF fighter aces.

L to R: Air Commodore Jamie  Rankin, Wing Commander Paddy Barthropp, Group Captain Bobby Oxspring, Wing Commander AG "Sailor" Malan, Group Captain Brian Kingcome, Warrant Officer Ernest "Tubby" Mayne, Squadron Leader Tony Bartley and Wing Commander Bob Stanford-Tuck. WO Mayne flew with No.74 Squadron and was, at 40, the oldest pilot in RAF Fighter Command to fly in the Battle of Britain. Most were barely out of their teens.

Above board showing the signatures of "The Few." Kindly sent by Peter Barnes.

Above photo 1975, kindly sent by Rory Kehoe.

Above photo 2010 by David Anstiss, Creative Commons Licence.

Above photo, 10 September 2015, kindly supplied by Eric Hartland.

From the Illustrated London News, Saturday 21 September, 1946.

Signatures of "Battle of Britain" pilots on a Black-out board at the "White Hart Inn," Brasted, their unofficial H.Q. in 1940, and where some of them planned a reunion for September 14 this year.

From an email received, 22 December 2022.

I have just returned home in New Zealand after visiting a sick cousin in Herne Bay.

He tells me that there was a German airman shot by a woman at the back of the pub in 1940. The airman had landed in a greenhouse or something similar and was suspended by his parachute.

The story goes the woman, who worked at the pub, took a shot gun and gave him both barrels.

This story was confirmed to a relative in the 1970’s by an elderly man at the pub who used to be the town policeman.

Do you have any evidence of this story?

Regards.

Charles Stewart.

Found nothing yet, but if anyone has this story please let me know and I'll get it added.