Over the years, many books and magazine articles on
the history of Royal Air Force airfields have been published
Few works have been produced, however, dealing with the
large number of RAF Stations which seldom, if ever, saw flying
machines, although the work carried out at these location
may well have been just as vital to the successful operation
of the RAF. This book, commissioned by the London Borough
of Harrow, is an attempt to place on record the events which
took place at two such Stations - RAF Bentley Priory and RAF
Stanmore Park, with a number of nearby sites which came
under their control.Opened in 1926 in what had been built as a country mansion, RAF Bentley Priory was expanded several-fold during the second world war when it was the Headquarters of Fighter Command, The ultimate responsibility for the defence of Great Britain rested on the high-ranking officers working there and on the personnel who backed them up so devotedly. With many modifications and updates, the task of this unique RAF Station remained similar during the'Cold War' and since the easing of tension other units have taken up residence and are working on defence-related tasks. At RAF Stanmore Park demolition of another mansion took place to create space for the Headquarters of Balloon Command which controlled the thousands of barrage balloons flown as a deterrent to low-flying enemy aircraft, thus supporting Fighter Command in the overall strategy. After the war, when balloons become redundant, the site at Stonmore Park was used for more mundane purposes until its official closure in April 1997. 142 pages, softback Royal Quarto. ISBN 0-901034-43-6 First Published 1997 by London Borough of Harrow Contact: Carol Hayes, Administration Officer, Harrow Library Services, PO Box 4, Civic Centre, Harrow, HA1 2UU, ENGLAND. Tel: +44 (0) 181-863-5611 
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