Spitfire Design Question

The Design Department was divided into two sections; the Draughting Office, headed by Joe Smith, and the Technical Office, headed by Alan Clifton. Both Offices contributed to design with the Technical Office responsible for stress calculations and aerodynamics. Each new project was assigned a coordinator, for the Spitfire this was Alfred Faddy, but there was no team as such, as individual members of each Office contributed as requested. Supermarine were working on at least eight projects during the time the Spitfire design was being finalised, so they were quite stretched.

That may depend upon what you mean as “original design team”. The book “Spitfire’s Forgotten Designer” places him as Chief Draughtsman at the time the Spitfire project began. He may not have been a member of the project team concentrating on the new fighter, as much as such teams did specialise in those days, but will have been brought in as soon as it became serious. He does not receive many mentions in the early part of the development story, even in this book, but there is a reference to Shenstone crediting “Smith, in charge of structural design, for his work in overcoming problems in the development of the elliptical wing.”

Thanks, Edgar!

According to various sources, he was recruited by Mitchell in 1921, joining him from the Austin Aeroplane drawing office.