Spitfire rhino!

In the summer of 2013, Southampton hosted the Go! Rhino trail. A total of 36 rhino art sculptures were on display across the city centre. 

After three months, the rhinos were auctioned off for charity. 

Unbeknown to me until quite recently, one of these ended up in Shirley library, only 15-20 minutes walk away from home. 

Now why am I writing a post in a blog dedicated to Spitfires? Because this is what that particular rhino looks like, and because its name is 'Spitfire'!

Pretty obvious I had to enter the library and take a few more pictures of this rhino camouflaged as a Spitfire!

But there's more!

In the summer of 2022, a similar trail existed in Southampton's city centre: 'Hares of Hampshire'. And look closely at what's on the chest of one of those hares ...

My wife took the pictures then, not knowing we'd really be getting 'into' Spitfires less than two years later ...

New Forest airfields

During WW II, hundreds of airfield existed in the UK, and here is a great map where you can see them all. 

Close to home, there were about a dozen airfields in the New Forest; the precise number depends on what you consider an 'airfield'. The largest four were Stoney Cross, Beaulieu, Ibsley and Holmsley South. One day last month, we drove by each of them, to see what's still left. 

RAF Stoney Cross

We have spent quite a lot of time on Stoney Cross over the years, as it's the site where we practice our sport kite pair-flying. But that's not relevant for this blog post, other than that we're well aware of its history and layout.

First a schematic of what was where on the airfield in the 1940s, and an aerial photo of what the site looks like now. 

There's an information board next to one of the two car parks given some background. 

From the air, the runways are still clearly visible, and, if you know where they are, you can also see them on the ground.

Here and there along where the runways were are still remnants to be found. 

Ocknell camping makes use of the hardstands that were used to station the aircraft.

I couldn't find any information as to whether Spitfires were ever stationed at Stoney Cross, and this was confirmed by the Friends of the New Forest Airfields. Of course, that doesn't rule out that, on occasion, a Spitfire landed and took off there.  

RAF Beaulieu

First again the schematics then and an aerial photo now.

An information is present at the east side of the airfield. 

If you know what you're looking for, you can still sort of see where the runways were ...

... but the old airfield is mostly covered in heather, gorse (and ponies).

At the eastern side, a small stretch of one of the runways is still present. 

No Spits are known to be stationed at Beaulieu Heath, but, as I mentioned before, they may well have landed there occasionally. 

RAF Ibsley

Schematic and aerial photograph first again. 

Basically, nothing is left of Ibsley airfield; it's all under the Blashford Lakes now, except a control tower on private land.

Spitfires definitely flew from Ibsley! There is a photo of a Spit taking off from Ibsley

And at the northeast corner of where the airfield used to be is a memorial dedicated to the people lived, flew, fought, and died there.

This confirms indeed that several squadrons flying Spitfires were stationed at Ibsley.

RAF Holmsley South

Last of the four big New Forest airfield; first again a schematic and an aerial photo.

An information board is situated along the south-west - north-east runway.

And that long south-west - north-east runway is still very clearly visible.

A stretch of the north-west - south-east runway is still in place.

Spitfires definitely flew from Holmsley, as is clear from the general Airfield Memorial situated a little west of the airfield. 

If you want to know a bit more about WW II airfields in the New Forest, there is this neat little book:

DAF Spits

The Desert Air Force consisted of RAF squadrons, which, as the name suggests, were active in the deserts of North Africa during WW II. 

They were painted in 'desert camouflage' colours, and I managed to get my hands on two 1/72 Spitfire models in those DAF colours. 

One with 'normal' rounded wings ...

... and one with 'clipped' wings, which increased the roll rate.

And here are my two DAF models together:

Using the registration codes on the models, I managed to find pictures of the actual aircraft they're based on. In both cases, it's the aircraft closest to the camera. 

'The Shadow Factory'

'The Shadow Factory' is a play written by Howard Brenton, taking place in and around Southampton, and at various sites where manufacturing of Spitfire and Spitfire parts was dispersed to following the bombing of the Supermarine factory in September 1940.

Purely by chance, my wife stumbled across announcement that the play would be performed in a village nearby later that week. 

So we thought, "why not?" and bought tickets.

I won't summarise the play, or give a critical review, but we enjoyed it and I just want to pick up on a few things for this blog post. 

First of all, it hadn't really clicked with me before that the people whose spaces were requisitioned by the government for Spitfire production wouldn't just simply have given up their business and premise. Makes perfect sense that there was resistance to that, of course!

The characterisation of the 'Southampton - Portsmouth' romance in the play as a "mixed marriage" got a good roaring laugh from the audience!

There were two key sites in the play, where most of the action takes place: the Sunlight Laundry and Hursley House.

The site of the Sunlight Laundry is actually a little more than five minutes walk from where we live and is part of the Shirley Spitfire Trail.

Hursley House is where the design department moved to, after having spent a few months in teaching huts at the grounds of what is now the University of Southampton's Highfield campus

This is what the Highfield site looks like nowadays; no trace of the huts is left, but there are plans for a Spitfire Makers plaque near where the huts stood.

So time for a visit to Hursley House, which was requisitioned by the government for housing the Supermarine design departments. They were welcomed by Lady Cooper on December 7, 1940.

Of course, there is no sign anymore of the 'floral Spitfire' that Lady Cooper prepared as welcome for Supermarine ....

But the House is still there!

Lady Cooper moved to the attic with her servants; I assume these are some of her windows.

Through a window, we could see some of the wood panelling that Lady Cooper was so concerned about with Supermarine moving in. But as we couldn't get into the house, here's a picture of that wood panelling from the internet.

If a plaque is ever unveiled at Hursley House, we will of course go back there to take some pictures of it.