By Diane Wailes
It was August 1940. France had recently surrendered to Germany and only the RAF stood in the way of Hitler’s plans to invade Britain; the country held its breath. This was a decisive moment in our history and every town and city wanted to support our pilots in their desperate fight against the Luftwaffe.
The scramble to build more Spitfires became increasingly urgent but war is an expensive business, and so the idea of ‘The Spitfire Fund’ was born. Towns, businesses and voluntary organisations across the UK all set up fundraisers to gather the £6,000 needed to ‘buy’ a spitfire.
On 15th August 1940, The Shields Evening News published a letter from Mayor Robert T Smith launching the local Spitfire Fund for Tynemouth and North Shields. To encourage the idea that every penny mattered, a components price list was issued: a wing for £2,000, a gun at £200, a spark plug at 8 shillings, or a rivet for just sixpence!
The cash started to roll in and lists were published in the local paper, showing who had donated. By the end of August the fund stood at £1,226.
Shields Evening News said that street collections were the way forward and encouraged everyone to get involved with the catchy slogan
“A Spitfire a day keeps the Nazis away!”
A local Flag Day collection raised £148 and employees at Welch’s Sweet Factory donated over £30. Everyone – from the youngest to the oldest – wanted to do their bit!
A report in The Evening News on Monday 9th September 1940 focussed on the amazing fundraising efforts of North Shields children.
“North Shields children have been working hard for the Spitfire Fund.
Latest examples of this youthful resourcefulness are two bazaars which are
being held this week in the streets outside
their parents’ houses.
One of these money-raising little functions has been organised by 10-years-old Doreen Reed and her sister, Winifred Reed (14 years), daughters of Mr and Mrs R. Reed of 57 Nile Street, North Shields. A stall was set up in Nile Street and the sale of toys, trinkets, books and other gifts given by friends has so far realised 29s. The aim of the girls is to raise £2 10s.
No less determined to raise a considerable sum towards the fund are four kiddies from Sidney Street, North Shields. They also erected a small stall on the pavement and business was conducted with such zest by the youngsters that coppers soon came rolling in. In charge of the stall were Nora Conway (11), Olive Kerr Patrick (10), Cornelia Hope (4), and Thomas Carty (10).”
With all this enthusiasm, the £6,000 was soon raised to pay for a Spitfire, which was presented in November 1940 to No. 602 Squadron, and continued in active service until October 1945.
The Spitfire Fund has been described as ‘the whip-round that won the war’! All the pennies and sixpences donated across the country raised enough cash to pay for about 2,600 Spitfires, making it a great morale booster and an essential part of the war effort. So well done to Doreen and Winifred, Nora, Olive, Cornelia and Thomas, and to the thousands of others who did their bit to support the RAF!
