I don't snore ...

 Couldn't resist ...

Really. Could. Not. Resist.

But I'm not the only one!

Unveiling plaque #9!

The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust aims to commemorate the people and places where parts of Spitfire were made, following the bombing of the Woolson Supermarine factory. Of the more than 40 places in and around Southampton which have been identified, eight of these places have so far been honoured with a plaque, and we have been to all those places, and photographed the plaques (see here and here).

I'd been in touch with the Trust, and, given my interest in all things Spitfire, I was invited to be present at the unveiling of plaque #9, which happened this afternoon at the Iceland storeroom in Newman Street in Shirley. Sun Engineering Ltd made 'machined details' in that building (possibly parts of fuel pumps??) for Spitfire aircraft in 1940.

Following a brief explanation of the who and how and why by the Trust's Chairman, Alan Matlock, ...

... the plaque was officially unveiled!

The storeroom was opened up for us by the Iceland representative, to give a bit of a feel for the space that was used back then for making those 'machined details'. 

So here's my official photo of the building and the plaque:

We then retreated to the pub nearby for refreshments, which included a specially-prepared cake, cut by a descendent of the owner of Sun Engineering.

Very glad we could be present at this unveiling; and I've got this sneaky feeling it won't be the last time ... watch this space!

Mitchell Way roundabout

The road leading to Southampton Airport is appropriately called 'Mitchell Way'.

And the roundabout at the entrance to Mitchell Way has a Spitfire 'memorial sculpture'. This memorial was unveiled in 2004 by Gordon Mitchell, RJ Mitchell's son.

The sculpture is a 2/3 size replica of the Spitfire prototype, K5054

The first flight of this prototype took place in March 1936, from Eastleigh Aerodrome (now called  Southampton Airport).

Here is the memorial sculpture on the roundabout!

I decided to walk around the roundabout, and take a series of pictures as I circled around.

Spitfire 'Floatplane'

A small number of Spitfires, of different marks, were transformed into Floatplanes, allowing them to land on and take off from water. It appears the experiment wasn't a success, as fewer than half a dozen were so changed. 

I did manage to get my hands on a 1:72 model of a Spitfire 'Floatplane', though!

Going through what is rightfully called the "Ultimate Spitfire Bible", ...

... I found some pictures of the actual aircraft my model is based on!

Now it's not difficult to see a resemblance to the Supermarine S4, S5 and S6 seaplanes which competed in the Schneider Trophy, held between 1913 and 1931. And guess who designed these seaplanes? Indeed, RJ Mitchell ... 

Got myself a book on the history of the Schneider Trophy:

Back to Woolston!

When we went to Woolston back in February, we couldn't get into Spitfire Court to see that Spitfire outline on the waterfront. Given that, and given that we were made aware of a Spitfire mural in the area, we went back. 

First of all, a picture of the sign as we got into Woolston; missed that completely last time!

And then to Spitfire Court. This time, we did find a way in. 

Once inside the court, we quickly managed to find the Spitfire outline, nicely made from paving stones in a different shade and shape. 

There is an information plaque by the railing near the Itchen river.

And then on to Victoria Road, where a Spitfire mural was completed in January this year on a wall of The Victoria pub.

Quite an impressive mural!

Fighter planes in the Pacific

The Seafire was a Spitfire version designed for flying from an aircraft carrier. Among the key differences from the 'regular' Spitfire were an arrestor hook (essential for landing on an aircraft carrier) and folding wings (essential given the lack of space on an aircraft carrier). I managed to get my hands on a 1:72 diecast model of one:

And I also managed to find a picture of the actual aircraft that the model is based on (the one closest to the camera).

This Seafire model came in a set, together with a Japanese fighter, so I decided, just like I did for the Battle of Britain models, to expand with a few more fighter planes, to represent some of the battles in the 1940s in and around the Pacific.

Next to the RAF Seafire model, I added a USAAF F4U Corsair. And on the Japanese side, a Kawasaki Ki-61 (the fighter plane that came in the box with the Seafire) and a Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero', the latter of which was also used as a kamikaze plane. 

Here's the full set!

Three more Spitfire Makers plaques!

The Spitfire Makers charity recently created the Shirley Spitfire Trail, which features five blue ceramic plaques at key sites around Southampton where production of Spitfires took place after the bombing of the Woolston factory. 

We recently walked the Shirley Spitfire Trail, aware that there were two more plaques nearby (but not covered by the Trail). And since then, another plaque was unveiled, making eight in total.

Time to visit those three additional plaques, don't you think?

First to Park Street, where Lowther's Garage made parts for the fuselage and wings.

Then two streets further, in Emsworth Road. Auto Metalcraft made fuel tanks and air filters here.

And then finally, plaque #8, unveiled very recently at Wide Lane. This is where, until very recently, the Supermarine Flight Shed stood.

On the fence across the grounds from the plaque, more or less in a straight line perpendicular to Wide Lane, is the information board with details on the Flight Shed; we saw this when we visited RJ Mitchell's grave at South Stoneham Cemetery a few weeks ago.