Posted on Facebook by Alan Matlock – 11th March 2025
13 AND COUNTING
The 13th Spitfire Makers blue plaque was unveiled in Romsey on Sunday afternoon and in case anyone was feeling superstitious, a sleek black cat came to join us!
There were around 50 invited guests who stood on the sunny patio of the Nightingale pub to hear Spitfire Makers chair, Alan Matlock, explain how Romsey Precision Engineering Ltd came to be making bolts for the iconic Spitfire on the corner of Latimer and Portersbridge Street. (Extracts from the talk and the rest of the afternoon were captured by Julian Gee and can be watched again by following this link… Spitfire Makers plaque unveiling Romsey, 9th March 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbiUOGfJqXk .
The plaque had been funded by Romsey resident Alan Crisp after hearing one of Alan’s “Building Spitfires Without a Factory” talks and it was him and Mike Yockney, whose father Jack had been an apprentice engineer at Romsey Precision during the war, who unveiled the plaque.
The company closed and Industrial Developments (1946) Ltd took over the premises (photo from Chas Burnett) and Jack went on to work for Thorneycrofts and Supermarine in Southampton, with a brief spell at the Wills Nursery (later Hillier’s) in Botley Road, Romsey. He is pictured whitewashing some of the tomato greenhouses there.
Guests invited to the Town Hall for tea and cake afterwards were able to view a display of Spitfire Makers research and share more of their memories of old Romsey, rationing and Spitfires.
We were pleased to welcome local MP Caroline Nokes to another of our unveilings and Alan looks forward to having her in the audience again on Thursday (13th March, 7.30) when the Middle Wallop WI have invited him to speak at the Village Hall there.
Once again the Men’s Sheds organisation were our go-to installers so thanks to the Romsey Shed for getting this one in place.
(Thanks for photos on the day to Robert Stidworthy and Michaela Lawler-Levene.)
Historical photos courtesy of Chas Burnett, Romsey Revisited
Posted on Facebook by Alan Matlock – 11th March 2025
NUMBER 14, COMING SOON!
Our next plaque, currently with the manufacturer, is due to be unveiled at the end of the month. We have started our guest list but if you have a particular, perhaps family, connection to the Deepdene House site in Midanbury Lane, Southampton, which Supermarine took over for its wages and accounts department, please get in touch. You can let us know via this post or contact us through our Spitfire Makers website. We would love you to join us for the unveiling. (photo from Vickers Archives)
The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust 