Spitfire Makers salute role played by laundry and bus depot

Production of the famous fighter aircraft was switched to more than 30 sites in and around Southampton after the Vickers Supermarine buildings at Itchen and Woolston were bombed in 1940.

The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust has embarked on a project to locate the sites and honour their contribution to the war effort.

One of the ceremonies was held outside the M&S Food Hall in Shirley (Image: S&DTHT,)

The latest plaques have been unveiled at the entrances to Pure Gym and the M&S Food Hall at Winchester Road, Shirley.

They commemorate a Hants and Dorset bus garage that was used to make Spitfire wings and the Sunlight Laundry, which produced parts for the wings and fuselages.

READ MORE: Spitfire stages spectacular fly-past at Fawley Armed Forces Day

The Trust has now unveiled six plaques in the Shirley area.

A spokesperson said: "The bus garage plaque was funded by Southampton & District Transport Heritage Trust (S&DTHT), which brought one of their vintage double-deckers to the event.

"The plaque outside M&S was sponsored by students and staff of Upper Shirley High School, which backs onto what was the laundry. Research from the Spitfire Makers has been incorporated into the Year 9 history syllabus at the school."

One of the blue plaques honours the contribution made by a Hants and Dorset bus garage (Image: Infinity Photography by Sarah Penfold)

The plaque outside Pure Gym marks the contribution made by the bus garage.

It was unveiled by David Hutchings, chairman of the S&DTHT, and the patron of the Spitfire Makers, Sqn Ldr Mandy Singleton (RAF retired), who until recently was the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's senior engineering officer.

Mandy was on her way to Buckingham Palace to receive an MBE for her services to the Flight.

READ MORE: Spitfire Makers project launched in Southampton

One of the people involved in the ceremony outside M&S was Judy Theobald. She told how her mother, Jane Sherriff, started out as an office worker at the laundry but became one of Supermarine's first female "progress chasers", checking if production quotas were being met at several of the "shadow factories" across Southampton.

One of the blue plaques salutes the role played by the Sunlight Laundry (Image: Hampshire Community Heritage)

Chris Sykes, the headteacher of Upper Shirley High, praised the students and their parents for raising nearly £700 to fund the plaque.

He also paid tribute to his head of history, Stuart Farley, for working with the Spitfire Makers team to highlight the historic activity that took place on the school’s doorstep.

READ MORE: New book reveals what happened after Spitfire factories at Itchen and Woolston were bombed

After the unveilings, the S&DTHT double-decker took passengers to a reception at the school. The refreshments were donated by the M&S Food Hall.