Posted on Facebook by Alan Matlock – 3rd April 2024
Message from Sky News…
Not had a chance to preview it yet. They thank us for all our help.
Update… So far none of the footage we filmed in Woolston, Solent Sky Museum or at the Shirley Parish Hall. 99 year old Vera is a star at the end. It does say it’s the first of a series so maybe some of the other Southampton footage will be included in part 2..3..
Do let us know what you think of it.
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The “…piece about the shadow factories and the UK’s readiness for war is running today.
Here is the online piece:
And this is the VT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsZl9Fhf_i8&t=121s
Posted on Facebook by Alan Matlock – 11th April 2024
Spitfires made in Iceland’s Shirley storeroom
Our research has revealed that what is now an Iceland supermarket’s store room on Newman Street, Shirley, Southampton, was originally a small engineering works.
Sun Engineering was started there in the early 1920s by Harry Rule who had been an apprentice to the Parson’s Motor Company that was based at Town Quay.
During WWII, Harry turned Sun Engineering’s usual production of bicycles, lawnmowers and washing mangles to making parts for hundreds of the iconic Spitfire!
The next Spitfire Makers blue plaque is set to be unveiled there in the next couple of weeks
INVITATION
If you have a family connection to the company or know of someone who would like to attend the unveiling please let us know by posting a response or sending a message and we’ll let you know the arrangements.
We are already in touch with the great-grandson of James Hall Marsh, the builder of the premises, and who is also related to Harry Rule.
We’ve been told that the company “had other locations in Southampton” and a garage in Church Street, Shirley, may be one of these.
We look forward to welcoming interested guests to the unveiling and a gathering at a nearby venue afterwards.
(Interior and exterior photos of Sun Engineering Ltd shared courtesy of Robert J True.)
Posted on Facebook by Alan Matlock – 22nd April 2024
Plaque number 9 in place!
The Sun Engineering Company, started in the 1920s, became “Mangle Roller Specialists” in the 30s, made “machined details” for Spitfires in WWII and was commemorated with the unveiling of a Spitfire Makers blue plaque yesterday afternoon.
We were honoured to have the plaque unveiled by David Rule, grandson of Harry Rule, the founder and manager of the company; Robert J True, the great grandson of James Hall Marsh who built the premises and Glynis O’Connor who had generously sponsored the manufacture of the plaque.
More than 30 invited friends, family members and residents of Newman Street, gathered in the sunshine to hear Spitfire Makers chair, Alan Matlock, outline the history of the company and the events that led Sun Engineering to be one of more than 300 companies nation-wide who had contracts to make parts for the Spitfire.
Alan thanked Brian Hooper, of Shirley Men’s Shed, who once again set the plaque in place and Tom Bond, manager of the Shirley branch of Iceland, who helped organise permission for the plaque to be put on the building which is now their storeroom. After the unveiling Tom opened up the storeroom and guests were able to have the rare experience of standing inside a secret Spitfire workshop!
Afterwards, in what is fast-becoming a Spitfire Makers tradition, there was a gathering for refreshments, this time just around the corner at the award-winning Park Inn, (CAMRA Southern Hampshire Pub of the Year) where landlady Keri kindly provided complimentary sandwiches to go with our special Sun Engineering Company celebration cake!
The period photos (shared by David Rule) show the pre-war exterior and interior of the building and the owner, Harry Rule in the late 30s. Taken just outside the front of the works is a photo of Harry’s son Arthur and three of “the boys” who worked for them. The roofline and back of the shops on Shirley High Street is in the background.
Spitfire Makers plaques numbers 10 and 11 have been sponsored (both by Hendy Foundation) and are awaiting arrangements to be put in place for their unveiling. They are to mark the site of the Hendy Garage in Vincents Walk, now a Student Roost building, and the Cunliffe Owen Aircraft Company in Wide Lane, Swaythling. If you know of anyone with a direct or family connection to either of these locations, and the Spitfire production that happened in them, please do let us know so we can send invitations to the unveiling events.
Images by David Rule, Sarah Penfold and The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust
The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust 