The Kentish Arms was established in London’s Mabledon Place in 1823 by the Whitbread Brewing Company. In the mid-1960s it became The Escape, and was a regular gathering spot for former RAF escapers and evaders. With gathering memorabilia, the pub hosted the Royal Air Forces Escaping Society (RAFES) ‘Museum’, its walls lined with glass cases of escape & evasion memorabilia, supplied by its clients.
Due to insufficient local interest, (the area had become a social area for students who had other interests) the collection was moved to The Torbay Aircraft Museum where it was of greater relevance and interest, but the museum closed in 1988. The RAFES itself is now defunct, but the small RAFES museum collection survives in a special exhibition at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre (East Kirkby).
As for the public house? It is now rebranded as Mabel’s Tavern – 9 Mabledon Place, WC1, no doubt rather different from the place frequented by the escapers and evaders.
The RAFES
The Royal Air Forces Escaping Society