Spitfire People: The men and women who made the Spitfire the aviation icon

by Paul Beaver

This book presents a fresh angle on the Spitfire by examining the contribution to its development and achievements by over 50 people, some famous, others not. Without the courage and tenacity of some leading political and military figures and the hard work of lesser-known mortals, there would have been no Spitfire, no Battle of Britain and no ultimate victory in 1945. Many people in positions of power played their part in the ultimate success of the Spitfire, and more than a few staked their reputations on a radical concept that brought together the best in British design, technology and ingenuity. This book identifies those people and tells many significant individual stories, exposing some myths and adding to knowledge of this iconic aeroplane through research on previously unpublished papers.

Great minds covered in the book include Sir Winston Churchill (voice in the wilderness and wartime leader), Reginald Mitchell (Supermarine chief designer, 1924–36) and Joe Smith (chief designer, 1936–47). Politicians include Neville Chamberlain (Prime Minster 1937–40), Sir Henry Tizard (government scientific advisor 1934–40) and Sir Kingsley Wood (Secretary of State for Air 1938–40). Pioneers include Joseph ‘Mutt’ Summers (first Spitfire pilot, 1936), Sir Stanley Hooker (Merlin engine developer, 1938–45) and Jeffrey Quill (Supermarine chief test pilot, 1938 onwards). Producers include Lord Beaverbrook (Minister for Aircraft Production, 1941–42) and Alex Henshaw (chief test pilot, Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory). Commanders include Air Marshal Sir Wilfrid Freeman (senior champion of the Spitfire in the Air Ministry), Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding (Fighter Command, 1936–40) and Air Vice-Marshal Sir Keith Park (Senior Air Staff Officer to Dowding, 1938–40). Pilots include Douglas Bader (Spitfire wing leader and inspirational disabled pilot), Eric Stanley Lock (highest-scoring Battle of Britain Spitfire ace), Bob Stanford Tuck (first Spitfire ace) and Tony Martindale (test pilot and speed record holder).

Paul Beaver is a historian, broadcaster and commentator as well as an historic aeroplane pilot who has been flying the Spitfire since 2011. Although he has over 40 books to his credit, this is his first for 20 years. He lives near Salisbury, where he is chairman of Salisbury Wings Week. This book is based on research for his sell-out talk at the Chalke Valley History Festival.

237 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

Paul Beaver worked for five years on Jane's Defence Weekly, including spells as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, and has operated as a freelance war correspondent for Sky News in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Sierra Leone. He has written over 50 books on military history, including most recently Spitfire People (2015). He spent 27 years in Army Air Corps Reserves, is a qualified pilot, and is now Honorary Group Captain of No 601 (County of London) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force.