Supermarine factory memorial

In September 1940, the Supermarine factory in Woolston was bombed by the Luftwaffe. 'Before' and 'after' pictures were on display in the Solent Sky Museum when we went there.

A memorial was erected where the factory once stood, and we decided to pay that a visit. From a distance, the memorial looks like a block of concrete, though the few poppy wreaths suggest it's more than that. 

Come closer and you see the details. 

I really like the simple carvings, showing the outlines of a Spitfire wing and tail. 

Walk past the memorial, and you can turn left into Mitchell (!) Close. And then you come across a few  more Spitfire-related names!

When you get to the bank of the Itchen, you can see the housing that is there where the factory once stood. .

Around the housing the other way is another Spitfire-related sign!

We couldn't get into Spitfire Court, but look what's on the water's edge inside the court (with thanks to Google Earth) ...

Shirley Spitfire Trail

Following on from our visit to the Solent Sky Museum, we set out to walk the Shirley Spitfire Trail, which is right in our neighbourhood! This is a trail, created by Spitfire Makers which connects some of the sites at which Spitfire production continued after the Supermarine factory in Woolston was destroyed in September 1940.

The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust has been unveiling commemorative plaques at several of these sites from March 2022 onwards. So we decided to follow the Shirley Spitfire Trail, consisting of eight sites, five of which have a plaque.

First stop, Shirley Parish Hall. Fuel tanks and air ducts were made here.

Then to 18 Wilton Road, where two sheds were likely used for storing parts. No plaque (yet?) at this site.

Third stop, Shirley Retail Park, where the Sunlight Dye Works and Laundry used to be, which was then used as a fitting shop.

Next door, where Halfords now is, was the Hants & Dorset Bus Garage. Wing jigs were made here.

Stop number five, Holybrook Stores, where a row of huts served as a finished parts store, playing a vital role in supply of parts to other sites.

And then on to site six, currently occupied by The Range and a Shell petrol station, but Seward's Garage used to be here and this is the site where Spitfire fuselages were made.

Next site, number seven, St James Close, which is where parts for the propellers were made. No plaque here. 

And then the final site on the trail, St James' Church. No construction site for Spitfire parts here in the past, but there is a black marble memorial to the 'Spitfire Sweethearts' here

There are a few more plaques further afield in Southampton (plus, it appears, plans for another 30 or so), and we'll definitely seek these out when we have the opportunity.

The spread of Spitfire production is also covered in a documentary and a book, both called Secret Spitfires. I haven't seen the documentary, but have ordered the book.

Solent Sky Museum

It all started with a leaflet given to Irma by one of her garden customers. The leaflet contained information on Spitfires, especially on the historical link between the aircraft and our (and its!) home city, Southampton.

The leaflet mentioned the Solent Sky Museum, a museum I'd only vaguely heard of and never visited. Checking their web-site made clear that the museum housed a Spitfire. So off we went for our very first close encounter with a real Spitfire!

We were greeted by a very nice model of a Spitfire, with some key information on the aircraft.

The museum houses over 20 aircraft of different types, but for this blog post, my focus is entirely on the Spitfire. By the way, someone must have had a real puzzle challenge fitting all those aircraft into the museum! 

But, as I said, Spitfire focus. Here she is!

Yes, I did touch the fuselage and wings briefly ...

Also on display was the famous Rolls Royce Merlin engine.

And of course, as you would expect, information boards on the production of the Spitfire ..

... as well as the bombing of the Supermarine factory.

Bit more on that in the next blog post!