THE city of Southampton will forever be linked with the Spitfire.

The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust, based in Southampton, is doing its bit to ensure the legacy of the Supermarine Spitfire is always acknowledged in the place it was made.

A single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, the Spitfire was made in factories in Woolston and Shirley, before taking to the skies in the Battle of Britain and beyond.

Alan Matlock, 68, Chair of the Trust, spoke to the Daily Echo about the Trust and why the Spitfire should be acknowledged by residents.

He said: “The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust was set up three years ago in March 2020.

“There’s about a dozen members of the group and the aim of the Trust is to let the people of Southampton know that we’re the home of the Spitfire.

“The Spitfire was made in the city by designer R. J. Mitchell, in 1936 with factories around the city building and providing parts for the aircraft, many of which were bombed during the Second World War by the Nazis.  

Daily Echo:

“Over the course of the last couple of years we’ve launched The Commemorative Plaques Project, unveiling plaques at several sites across Southampton – mainly Shirley – honouring sites and former factories where people worked to build the Spitfire, where we have our own Shirley Spitfire Trail.

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“Through the Trust we’ve met some amazing veterans who, when you speak to them all seem to say, ‘We were just doing our job, it was a normal thing to do’, so they play it down quite a lot but without them we’d have been helpless.

“Only recently we met 98-year-old Vera, who had worked at one of the Spitfire factories in Shirley, it’s really wonderful to listen to veterans and hear of their experiences and stories because many of them have passed away now so it’s something we really need to cherish.

“Winston Churchill called them ‘The unknown warriors.’

“When R. J. Mitchell, died he passed on his genius to a wonderful team of people in Southampton who could pick it up and continue his legacy.

“When you look at the Battle of Britain, all of the aircraft in the air protecting our country were Spitfires that were all developed in Southampton.

“You could look at it as Southampton being alone in the skies.”

If you'd like to know more about The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust, please visit their website: spitfiremakers.org.uk