The Spitfire - iconic, legendary, and this year celebrating its 90th anniversary. Because it was back in 1936 that the Supermarine Spitfire made its maiden flight.
It was a weapon of war, and just four years after it first flew it took on the might of the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, an aerial conflict which changed history. The exploits of the Spitfire and Hurricane squadrons made Hitler think again as he drew up his invasion plans.
Shropshire had its part in the Spitfire story. Some were based here, some were even made here. Hundreds were made at Sankey’s in Hadley during the war.
To mark the anniversary let’s bring you a selection highlighting some of Shropshire’s Spitfire links as well as some of the heroes who flew them.
- You can enjoy this and more with our weekly FREE Nostalgia Newsletter - with scores of archive pictures and exclusive features on the history of Shropshire and Mid Wales - all sent to your inbox every week. Sign up here
25. Lying down on the job
"WAAF flight mechanics are now gradually being introduced in British RAF stations as members of the maintenance staff," read the caption to this official picture which was released in December 1941. "These girls are now rapidly completing their training and are taking over their duties of servicing and generally looking after air force planes at the various stations. Thus they release men for the front line RAF duties. The girls have proved exceptionally efficient in their training, one of them actually getting the highest marks in one examination, beating all the men entered. Two of the WAAF flight mechanics at an RAF station are seen here making repairs to the engine of a plane. The girl sprawling on the wing formerly worked in a car factory so she is used to 'getting down to it in overalls' while the other girl formerly worked on the land." | Express & Star archive
26. Dynamic duo
Spitfires and Hurricanes on dawn patrol. While the Spitfire is seen as a symbol of the Battle of Britain, the Hawker Hurricane was numerically more important. The battle lasted from July 10 to October 31, 1940. The Germans lost 1,733 planes and the Royal Air Force 915. | Express & Star archive
27. Aerial defenders of Britain
A classic line-up of some of the aerial defenders of Britain. This image was released in 1939, but may well date from peacetime as in war conditions the aircraft would be dispersed round the airfield so they were not such easy targets. Another interesting feature is that these Spitfires have two-bladed propellers, another pointer to this being an early picture. Somebody has handwritten in pencil on our print "WZ - 19 Squadron - Duxford?" so possibly somebody who knew their stuff identified this as 19 Squadron based at RAF Duxford. | Express & Star archive
28. Fly like an eagle
Before America entered the war some Americans volunteered to serve in the RAF and were formed into what were called Eagle Squadrons. This photo shows the second of the three Eagle Squadrons flying by the Stars and Stripes as they head off on a patrol. The date is November 1941. | Express & Star archive