Visibility will not be an issue when it comes to this particular statue.
asserted
it → come → statue
At twice the height of the Angel of the North, this will not only be seen for miles around.
asserted
this → see → miles
It also seems entirely right that a monument to the greatest name in British aviation should be honoured where it belongs – in the air.
asserted
it → seem → air
Let no one accuse the city of Southampton of rushing things when it comes to erecting a national monument to the Spitfire.
asserted
it → let → Spitfire
Indeed, next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the day that a determined band of south coast volunteers first met to get this thing off the ground – 131ft off the ground to be precise.
asserted
band → mark → ground
Yet – with your help – we may finally be about to see movement on this glorious landmark.
uncertain
we → see → landmark
If the local authority finally approves the last permissions and a building licence at next month’s council meeting, then it will be a case of chocks away.
And it’s safe to say that it will have been worth the wait.
asserted
it → approve → chocks
Just as Gateshead has its winged guardian looming over the A1 and London/Edinburgh mainline, so Southampton could soon be home to what will doubtless be christened the Saviour of the South.
uncertain
what → have → South
As a matter of fact, it’s not just double the Angel of the North.
asserted
it → ’ → North
An artist’s impression of how the National Spitfire Monument in Southampton will look, which will be twice the height of the Angel of the North
Robert Hardman and Royston Smith on the exact site in Mayflower Park where the National Spitfire Monument will be
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Monument → look → Park
It was in 2007 that local worthies formed the original ‘Spitfire tribute panel’ with a view to creating the first proper national monument to Reginald Mitchell’s exalted invention.
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worthies → form → invention
Though Mitchell was born near Stoke-on-Trent, he made his name as chief designer for Southampton-based Supermarine.
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he → bear → Supermarine
It was here that his seaplane designs won the Schneider Trophy (the aviation World Cup of its day) three times in a row for Britain.
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designs → win → Britain
It was here in Southampton that he drew up the team who would design the Spitfire.
asserted
who → draw → Spitfire
And it was here that he watched its maiden flight in March 1936, while stricken with the bowel cancer which would kill him the following year.
asserted
which → watch → him
It was in this city that Supermarine’s Woolston factory worked day and night to churn out this new breed of super-agile fighter with its trademark elliptical wing.
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factory → work → wing
More than 100 of those workers lost their lives in 1940 when the Luftwaffe sent fleets of bombers to smash the plant responsible for producing Britain’s devastating new weapon of war.
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Luftwaffe → lose → war
Undaunted, the workforce then spread themselves across the region in smaller units, making Spitfires in garages, bus depots and even laundries – while further production continued in ‘shadow’ factories such as Castle Bromwich, Birmingham.
asserted
production → spread → Bromwich
Their combined efforts, together of course with the heroism of the young men who climbed into these aircraft, were a major contributing factor to the Allies’ eventual victory.
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who → combine → victory
At the start of the war, Britain had less than 400 operational Spitfires; by its end, more than 12,000 had taken to the skies, though thousands would not return.
asserted
thousands → have → skies
Such was its outstanding performance and versatility (from night fighting to photo reconnaissance and a naval version called the Seafire), that the Spitfire was the only fighter in continuous production before, during and after the war – from Mk 1 through to Mk 24.
asserted
Spitfire → call → Mk
Of course, many aircraft played their part in securing victory, notably the Lancaster bomber and the Spitfire’s stablemate, the Hurricane.
asserted
aircraft → play → victory
The latter was the workhorse for ‘the Few’ as they fought the Battle of Britain during those pivotal weeks in 1940 when Spitfire production was still catching up and this country stood on the brink of invasion.
asserted
country → fight → invasion
Yet, no other warplane would go on to evoke the same sense of ingenuity, grace, guts and sheer glamour.
asserted
warplane → go → ingenuity
No other is still flying all over the world (with more than 100 Spitfires still airworthy).
asserted
other → fly → world
‘It is the most iconic aeroplane ever created,’ says the aviation historian Paul Beaver, a trustee of the project.
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historian → create → project
‘It encapsulates a spirit of resistance and engineering prowess which has never been superseded.’
asserted
which → encapsulate → resistance
The last surviving member of ‘the Few’, Group Captain John Hemingway DFC, was singing the praises of the Spitfire in an interview with the Daily Mail shortly before his death last year
For all these reasons and more, a national monument is long overdue.
asserted
monument → survive → reasons
And we are now tantalisingly close to seeing it move from the drawing board to the water’s edge here at Mayflower Park overlooking Southampton Water.
asserted
it → see → Water
It’s the perfect spot.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
To the right is the mighty cruise ship terminal which brings three million in and out every year.
asserted
which → bring → million
A further one million people will see the thing each year as they fly in and out of Southampton Airport, where the Spitfire was born.
asserted
Spitfire → see → Airport
A huge circular base, modelled on an RAF roundel, will jut out from the sea wall.
asserted
base → model → wall
High overhead will be Nick Hancock’s gleaming stainless steel model of a Spitfire, one and a half times the size of the real thing, supported by a vast curving stainless steel vapour trail.
asserted
model → gleam → trail
What is urgently needed now is the green light from the council after years of bureaucratic foot-dragging.
asserted
needed → need → dragging
The memorial is still waiting for councillors to approve long-needed repairs to the revetment (sea wall), even though the monument will save the council £1 million by paying for the stretch of the wall where the base will go.
asserted
base → wait → wall
All now finally appears to have been resolved, though the years of delay mean that inflation has cranked up the construction costs.
asserted
inflation → appear → costs
The trustees of the National Spitfire Project now need a further £1.5 million as a result, so we must all play our part.
asserted
we → need → part
The computer images certainly look awesome, though they also beg the question: will this thing not blow over in a storm?
asserted
thing → look → storm
We’ve put it through everything,’ says Royston Smith, vice-chairman of the trustees, pointing out that the monument has been subjected to the same checks by the Canadian wind-testing laboratory which approved Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
asserted
which → put → Khalifa
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
