Reginald Mitchell was born in 1895 in Butt Lane, Kidsgrove, the 2nd eldest of 5 children. After moving to Longton, Mitchell attended Hanley High school, during which he took up an interest in aviation, and model planes. He left school at 16 and did an apprenticeship with a railway engineering firm - Kerr Stuart & Co - in Fenton. He did not like the manual work and transferred to the drawing office where he studied engineering & mathematics.

In 1916, Mitchell joined the Supermarine Aviation Works at Southampton, which specialised in building flying boats. He quickly attained recognition for his creative thinking and by 1917 he was assistant to the owner & designer, and chief engineer in 1921, helping in the development of the Supermarine Baby. In 1919 it was adapted for the Schneider Trophy (an international contest for the fastest seaplanes) and was renamed the Sea Lion. After some wins and losses, the latest version Supermarine S6b won a third consecutive victory (340mph) for Britain in 1931, thus claiming the trophy outright. Mitchell was awarded the CBE for his contribution, and in interviews he stressed the importance of his whole team.

In 1931, the Air Ministry released a specification for a new fighter aeroplane. Supermarine’s first design, the Type 224, proved disappointing. It was an innovative aircraft but the Air Ministry were not enthusiastic about it. Supermarine and Rolls-Royce launched a private venture to design a better fighter. The second attempt was more successful and the prototype Spitfire first flew in May 1936.

This ‘Spitfire’ quickly attracted the Air Ministry’s interest as it was the most advanced fighter available to the RAF and an order was placed for 310 planes.

In 1933, Reginald was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent an operation. It left him having to use a colostomy bag. Naturally, he improved its design! The illness returned but he continued with his work for as long as he was able – living long enough to see the first Spitfire flight. He died in 1937

Between 1937 and 1947 over 20,000 Spitfires were built, more than any other British combat aircraft before or since. There were continual design changes from the Mk 1 up to the Mk24, with more powerful engines, new wing shapes and different armaments. Due to their complex design, production was slow, and so the Hawker Hurricane came into force, mainly to attack the bombers, with the spitfire concentrating on the Messerschmitt fighters. The power of the R-R Merlin and Griffon engines and the ‘clipped wing’ design, gave the Spitfire the advantage of speed and maneuverability.

The RAF donated a Spitfire mk16 to Hanley Museum in 1945, and this was totally re-furbished in 2017 by a firm in Rochester, Kent.

Our next meeting, on December 3rd in Hixon Memorial Hall, is titled “Behind the Scenes at Cannock Mining museum” and starts at 8-00pm

John Egginton