Member-only story
Spitfire nation
Over the summer of 1940 the skies over southern England were filled with the sounds of merlin engines as Spitfires and Hurricanes fought off a German arial armada during the Battle of Britain. Hundreds of British, Commonwealth, Polish, Czech and other nationalities died defending British skies, and in the aftermath, it was the Spitfire which came to symbolise the few who had saved the many. Here I want to examine the psychological impact of the Spitfire, its relationship to the British people, and why it endures to this day. Why is it that the Supermarine Spitfire over all other World War Two British aircraft came to symbolise Britishness, and what has kept it at the heart of British culture.
I grew up in spitfire country, the part of northwest Kent where the downs meet the flat open terrain leading towards London. As a kid I was told tales of the local air station at Gravesend, shown The Battle of Britain on TV, and devoured my grandfather’s history collection. Being a Kentish lass there was no way to escape this history. I was 13 when the 50 anniversary of VE day brought all the surviving veterans out, young men turned old, and amongst them was a…
