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.

Night Fighter

A relatively small number of Spitfires were converted into Night Fighters, by painting them dark all-over and adding additional lights, some of which could be operated by the pilot for Morse-code signalling. Night Fighters were especially useful in bringing down Heinkel 111 bombers, until the Luftwaffe changed its tactics. 

And there is my 1:72 diecast model of a Night Fighter Spitfire!

There's a bit more on the Night Fighter here, if you're interested. Plus, I managed to find a photo of the actual aircraft that the model is based on!

RJ Mitchell

Reginald J Mitchell was the brains behind the design of the Spitfire, and traces of him are to be found in several places in Southampton, the 'Home of the Spitfire'.

First of all, we saw a picture of him in the Solent Sky Museum when we went there.

The wind tunnel at Southampton University's Highfield Campus is named after him. 

Look what's hanging from the ceiling of the foyer of the wind tunnel building!

And then there is Michell Close, near the Supermarine factory memorial.

Mitchell lived at 2 Russell Square in Southampton until his death in 1937, and there is a plaque on the wall of his then-home.

Mitchell's grave is at South Stoneham Cemetery

I'd seen a picture of the grave on the internet, so I knew what to look for (without that, we'd have had to read every single gravestone until we found the right one!).

Couldn't resist placing my Spitfire Mk I model on the gravestone (I'm sure I'm not the first to do that, and definitely won't be the last)

Opposite the entrance to the cemetery, there is an information board on the fence of the industrial estate (note the error ...)

Finally, I picked up a copy of his biography, written by his son, for a couple of quid ...

Battle of Britain fighter planes

When visiting Solent Sky Museum, we saw several Spitfire models for sale in their shop. I thought it would be nice to have a few of those at home, but wasn't sure what would be the best for a small collection in terms of scale (1:48? 1:72? 1:144?) and material (diecast-ready-to-go vs plastic-still-to-be-glued-and-painted?). So, in the end, I didn't buy one, though I did buy a fridge magnet!

Back home, I did some googling around (especially eBay) to see what's out there, and decided on ready-to-go diecast models (rather than plastic, which still needed glueing and painting), and 1:72 as the most appropriate scale (1:48 would be too big for me). 

So here is the first of that 1:72 Spitfire diecast model collection: a Spitfire Mk I

Of course, say 'Spitfire' and you say 'Battle of Britain'. I decided to get a few aircraft models around the Spitfire that epitomise the 'Battle of Britain'. For this, I opted for two more fighter planes on the RAF side besides the Spitfire: a Hawker Hurricane Mk I and a Gloster Gladiator.

And then two Luftwaffe planes: a Messerschmitt Bf109 and a Junkers JU 87B 'Stuka'. Here are those five plane models together:

Back to the Spitfire model, I found a picture of the actual plane that the model is based on, damaged in a landing after the pilot became disoriented by ground mist.

Finally, I wanted to read and learn more about the 'Battle of Britain' and found this book to be highly recommended: The Most Dangerous Enemy

Oh, by the way, this is the fridge magnet (though not on our fridge)!

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.