The “Spitfire Makers” G – I – The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust

Leslie Stuart Geddes (d. Sept 1940)

Image courtesy of The Supermariners and The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust

Leslie was an Aircraft Electrician at Supermarine. He was 34 years of age when he was killed in the bombing raid on the 24th September 1940. Leslie is buried in Hollybrook Cemetery, Southampton.

Harry Griffiths

Images courtesy of the Griffiths family

Harry Griffiths (Griff) started in 1928 as a 14 year old laboratory assistant and stayed with Supermarine, working as a metallurgist, until 1958. After the bombing a new laboratory was built at Hursley Park. He also helped with photography, taking pictures of the visits of King George VI to Eastleigh and Queen Mary to Trowbridge.

Stanley Gurd

Harry Ernest Harley (d. Sept 1940)

Image courtesy of The Supermariners and The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust

Harry was employed at Supermarine in an unknown role. He was 43 years of age when he was killed in the bombing raid on the 26th September 1940. Harry is buried in Southampton Old Cemetery, Hill Lane, Southampton.

Arthur George John Harris (d. Sept 1940)

Image courtesy of The Supermariners and The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust

Arthur was Head Store Keeper at Supermarine. He was 32 years of age when he was killed in the bombing raid on the 26th September 1940. Arthur is buried in St Mary Extra Cemetery, Southampton.

Alfred James Hawkins (d. Sept 1940)

Image courtesy of The Supermariners and The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust

Alfred was employed by Supermarine in an unknown role. He was 29 years of age when he was killed in the bombing raid on the 26th September 1940. As we have been unable to locate Alfred’s grave, floral tributes for him have been placed on the Commonwealth War Graves Memorial in Hollybrook Cemetery, Southampton.

Mervyn Joseph (Joe) Hawkins (d. Sept 1940)

Image courtesy of The Supermariners and The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust

Joe was an apprentice at Supermarine. He was 16 years of age when he was killed in the bombing raid on the 24th September 1940. Joe is buried in Hollybrook Cemetery, Southampton.

Charles Hext (d. Sept 1940)

Image courtesy of The Supermariners and The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust

Charles was employed by Supermarine in an unknown role. He was 57 years of age when he was killed in the bombing raid on the 26th September 1940. As we have been unable to locate Charles’ grave, floral tributes for him have been placed on the Commonwealth War Graves Memorial in Hollybrook Cemetery, Southampton.

Hazel Hill

Hazel Hill, the youngest Spitfire Maker?

Images and information owned and provided by Felicity Baker

Without the mathematical calculations that this 13 year old girl helped to make, the Spitfires taking to the air at the start of the Battle of Britain, 80 years ago, would have been decisively outgunned.

In 1934 Hazel’s father, ballistic expert Frederick Hill, thought that future RAF fighters with only 4 machine guns would not have enough firepower to down future enemy bombers. Night after night, sitting at the kitchen table, she helped with the maths, using a manual calculator, pencil and graph paper. Her results got the ‘spec’ for the Spitfire and Hurricane changed to 8 guns – just enough to win the Battle of Britain.

Click here for more information on Wikipedia

Trailer for the BBC documentary The Schoolgirl Who Helped Win a War

https://www.bbc.co.uk/…/battle-of-britain-the…

Ernest Wilfred Hillier

Image courtesy of Paul Haywood

From his grandson Paul Haywood…….

Ernest Wilfred Hillier, worked at Woolston. He is shown working on a lathe at a factory in Hamble (probably Follands or AST) after the bombing. This is a colourised still taken from “The First of the Few” film which came out in 1942.

Ernest was left handed and apparently, as there were no left-handed lathes available, one was imported … from Germany!

He died in 1945.

Bob & Kathleen Hindle

Jack Hinton

Image and information courtesy of David Hinton

Jack Hinton was an engineer who lived 63 Millbrook Road, Southampton, so he travelled every day to Woolston on the Floating Bridge.

The photo, 1948, shows him, possibly outside the Flight Shed at Southampton Airport, with General Manager, Len Gooch, and others, handing over a two seater trainer to the Irish Air Force.

Jack continued working for Supermarine until the late 50s when he didn’t want to move with them to South Marston.

Thomas Frederick Homer (d. Sept 1940)

Image courtesy of The Supermariners and The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust

Thomas was employed at Supermarine in an unknown role. He was 48 years of age when he was killed in the bombing raid on the 24th September 1940. Thomas is buried in South Stoneham Cemetery, Southampton.

Louis Edward Howard Hubbard (d. Sept 1940)

Image courtesy of The Supermariners and The Spitfire Makers Charitable Trust

Louis was employed by Supermarine in an unknown role. He was 40 years of age when he was killed in the bombing raid on the 26th September 1940. As we have been unable to locate Louis’ grave, floral tributes for him have been placed on the Commonwealth War Graves Memorial in Hollybrook Cemetery, Southampton.