Secret Spitfires – revealed

A memorial for the city’s unsung heroes was revealed tonight at Salisbury Rugby Club.

A full size replica of a Spitfire was revealed tonight. It was erected in memory of the hundreds of young women, boys, engineers and elderly men who helped to build thousands of Spitfires in secret factories during World War 2.

The unveiling was tonight at a ceremony at Salisbury Rugby Club to which hundreds gathered at Hudson’s Field to see a Spitfire fly-past at 6:30pm.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston KCB, CBE, ADC, the senior officer in the Royal Air Force, who served as chief of the Air Staff since July 2019, invited Secret Spitfires campaigner Norman Parker to cut the ribbon.

As the Nazi Luftwaffe from Germany pinpointed their air assault on the Supermarine Spitfire factories in Southampton, equipment, plans and people who would continue to make the fighter plane were moved to secret factories in places like Winchester and Salisbury.

MP John Glen was in attendance this evening as this new memorial was revealed.

You can hear more on Salisbury Radio.