The Supermariners

Dedicated to "The Supermariners". The men and women who worked for Supermarine, and who were responsible for designing and building the legendary Spitfire as well as many other great aircraft.

This page is dedicated to the men and women who worked for Supermarine, from it's earliest days on the banks of the River Itchen through to its final disappearance as a company name in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Although the aircraft they made, especially the legendary Spitfire, and the places in which they made them are important and will be included the real aim of the page is to focus on the people themselves. To tell their stories and share their memories of the company they called 'Supers'.

Using the personal recollections and pictures of Supermarine employees, both "staff" and "shop floor", it is hoped to build a more complete picture of how their aircraft were designed and built. To understand the pressures, fears and tragedies that both they and their families endured during the dark days of World War II and the challenges they faced in the post-War period.

Acknowledgements

Much of the technical material on this site comes from the archives of the RAF Museum, Cambridge University Library and many other organisations without whose care much would have been lost. This is complemented by a remarkable collection of books, articles and websites, enough to give even the most determined enthusiast a real challenge in order to read them all!

However, it is the personal stories which tell the story in a way that facts, statistics and Quarterly Reports can never do. Without the memoirs of the Supermariners themselves, published in a variety of books and articles or recorded by oral history projects, and through the remarkable and generous support of surviving Supermariners and their families this task would have been impossible and the true story of Supermarine lost.

Please take your time to browse through the material on the site and let me know what you think, how it could be improved or if any corrections are needed.

How can you help?

The story is still incomplete and I will be adding new material as it is finished. More importantly it is hoped that those who have their own stories, pictures or memorabilia will add them too.

If you can help . . . please contact me or leave a comment on one of the stories already posted. Your stories matter! Even what may seem like insignificant comments or events may be vital pieces in a jigsaw or rekindle long forgotten memories or friendships.

Thank you!