What a lively evening this was. Alan Matlock from the Spitfire Makers charity really took us to new heights with his enthusiasm for the mighty Spitfire. He began with the early days of the Supermarine and the Itchen and Woolston works on the river.
The Supermarine company specialised in flying boats but are of course best known for the dazzling Spitfire designed by RJ Mitchell and his team.
In 1940 it was apparent that the German Luftwaffe had these works on their radar and bombed the factories. The company then set about splitting up the various components of the aircraft and sub contracting smaller companies in the area to complete them. The main sites for this enterprise covered 30 locations in Southampton and further sites in the surrounding Hampshire countryside. The completed parts were then shipped to Eastleigh airport where the aircraft would be built.
In his research on the aircraft Alan has discovered amazing stories of the lives of those who worked on these components. From the boy collecting rivets from the factory floor to the ATA women who flew the completed aircraft to where they were needed, with only a note book for flying instructions. He has met, interviewed and compiled these stories from the people who were there, or from those whose families have submitted items and stories of their relatives who did so. His research also included Soroptimist support from around the world, fundraising for ambulances and support for those in need through war. Soroptimists would not support anything military.
The aim of the Spitfire Makers charity is to make sure this legacy lives on, and to ensure those who were involved in this story are remembered in Southampton – the home of the Spitfire. He is continuing to install historical Blue Plaques around the city. For more information and to find out where the next plaque will be unveiled please take a look at the website spitfiremakers.org.uk
Partnerships are the The Supermariners and the Solent Sky Aviation Museum