Spitfires from Salisbury, Wiltshire

Alertken, Hi,
Yt last para absolutely brilliant!! Clearly, My Lord Bishop was one of those (and there were many!) who didn’t think that a mere World War should interfere with their day-to-day business!!
How the hell did we win? I suspect, however and like the Falklands, that WE didn’t win. THEY lost by making bigger, and more important, mistakes than WE did!!!
Resmoroh

By 1944 the Spitfire Production Group was centred on S.Marston and Castle Bromwich. Additional assembly/flight test sites were:
– Salisbury: Chattis Hill (31 May,1948: closed) and High Post (February,1947: closed);
-Trowbridge:Keevil (1945: to RAF);
– Reading: Henley, Aldermaston (20 July,1946: to RAF).
There were 46 manufacturing Units, serving all these assembly sites. In Salisbury one was the Wilts&Dorset bus garage.

There’s a quote: Bishop of Salisbury complained to (Cripps? Churchill?) about High Post Spitfire noise affecting his sermons. The response was in the sense: think what Hitler would do to you if the Spitfires were not here.

I seem to remember some sub assemblies were built at a factory making steam engines,(probably rollers) and the owner was none too happy!

Clearly, bits of Spitfires were built in garages, coach-builders, etc, in the ‘Salisbury Area’. So, also, were bits of Spitfires (panels, wiring looms, bits of aircraft ‘plumbing’, etc) built in the Reading area. They were transported (in the Reading case) to RAF Henley to be ‘screwed together’.
Where else did – what was effectively, a cottage industry, – take place after the bombing of Woolston? There must be others?
Interested
Peter Davies

Sorry for delay. I’ve been a bit preoccupied.

This is not project with which I’m involved but, as I know someone who does volunteer “work” at the theatre, I’ll try to pass the information along. Thanks.

i sent him an email and invite last week…..no reply!

To be fair Tony he probably doesn’t realise that you are still building Spitfires in the ‘Salisbury area’.;)

Or were you just offering some stage props?

There was an article in Flypast in the early 90’s titled ‘Moonraker Spitfires built in Garages’ – worth finding that one.

One can but try.

i sent him an email and invite last week…..no reply!