Penny brooch ...

About a year ago, Penny, a friend of us, gave us a leaflet on the Shirley Spitfire Trail. And that sparked our interest in all things Spitfire, so far culminating in the Spitfire Makers plaque unveiled at the university yesterday.

Between xmas and new year, Penny said she had something for me. And that something was a brooch in the shape of a Spitfire that her father, Sidney Ody, made from an old penny for his wife Mary in 1940 (they were married earlier that year). At that time, the Battle of Britain had made sure that Spitfires were very much on people's minds. Penny isn't the sentimental type, and said she would much rather that someone who appreciates the brooch has it, rather than it being "thrown in the bin when I die". 

Definitely a unique and very special brooch, and I proudly wore it at the unveiling of the university plaque yesterday. 

So things have come full circle: Penny initially gave us the leaflet that triggered our interest in Spitfires, and now, a year on, I'm wearing a Spitfire brooch, made by her father ~84 years ago, at an official Spitfire ceremony.

Addition: the unveiling (and the brooch!) made the local news!

University plaque, #12!

In an earlier blog post, I briefly mentioned the design department of Supermarine moving to huts on what is now the University of Southampton's Highfield Campus. Time for a plaque to be installed near where those huts were!

Because I am a lecturer at the university, Alan Matlock, the chairman of the Spitfire Makers, asked me to see if I could maybe get the ball rolling on permission and possibly even (part-)funding of the plaque 'from inside'. To make a short story even shorter, my first email to that effect was met with enthusiasm and permission as well as (full) funding was secured very quickly! 

Today was the day of official unveiling.

Alan did his usual 'spiel' about the links between Supermarine and the University.

And due to me being instrumental in this plaque becoming reality, I was then asked to take part in the actual unveiling, a task which I was more than happy to undertake of course.

So here it is, on the wall of building 5 on Highfield Campus:

And please forgive me for feeling quite chuffed, and regarding plaque #12 a bit 'my' plaque ...