Thirty five members and guests attended the March meeting
to hear Mr John Claridge give an illustrated talk about the history of
the Supermarine Spitfire. John graduated from London University with an
honours degree in aeronautical engineering and subsequently spent six
years working in the aerospace industry. He then changed tack and moved
into computers eventually becoming chief programmer for the States of
Jersey. He has always had a passion for aeroplanes and gained his pilots
licence which led to the offer of a job as test pilot for a newly developed
aircraft the TSR2. Unfortunately this aircraft was scrapped in favour
of an American machine. However he continues to indulge his love of aeroplanes
by regularly "flying" in a Boeing 737 cockpit which he has constructed
at his home.
He began the talk by giving us a brief history of flight starting with
Icarus, through the Wright brothers and up to the pre war development
of the Spitfire. The Spitfire took four years to build and develop and
was the brainchild of Reginald Joseph Mitchell. The name Spitfire was
chosen because it was an Elizabethan word meaning an uncontrollable lady
with a fiery temper. In fact this was something of a misnomer for the
Spitfire since one of its major attributes was its ability to manoeuvre
and the way the pilots learned to control and fly the machine was to contribute
to its very success in the theatre of war. This was the aircraft pilots
loved to fly. John explained that the innovative ability of R.J. Mitchell
coupled with the foresight and tenacity of Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh
Dowding led to the development of the Spitfire in spite of a very lukewarm
response from the government. John's enthusiasm for his subject was very
evident as he described how over 20,300 Spitfires were built and it became
the fighter with the longest service record, going into operation in August
1938 and flying its last European mission on May 5th 1945. He also described
the role of the 'Spitfire Sisterhood', ladies who flew unarmed aircraft
from the factories where they were built to the airfields. Although they
were supposed to be strictly non combatant many of them did engage with
the enemy despite the planes being unarmed. There are now 44 restored
Spitfires scattered across the world, and organisations and enthusiasts
are always on the lookout for more examples. John concluded his presentation
by reciting a Patience Strong poem, a prayer for airmen, a fitting tribute
to the brave pilots of the Second World War to whom we all owe so much.
The next meeting will be Monday 26th April when Eric Wright
will give an illustrated talk about York Minster. This will be followed
by our annual Pea & Pie Supper.