Achtung, Spitfire!

[Spot the irony in this picture]

I say, chaps & chapesses, listen up.

70 years ago to this very day the Supermarine Spitfire made it's very first flight from Eastleigh Airfield, Southampton where the Vickers factory rolled out a pre-production plane that flew a circuit 'round Southampton water.

Today, to mark the ocassion, a lone Spitfire re-enacted the maiden flight before being joined by another 4 Spitfires. And it was a marvellous sight & sound I can tell you.

Now, for those of you who don't know, this marvellous contraption the Spitfire was one of Britain's best fighter planes of WWII, upholding the honour of this island kingdom so that future generations of little chavs would be free to infest inhabit towns up and down the country. Well, it was either that or we'd all be speaking German, don't you know? (sind sie sicher wir trafen die rechte entscheidung, Herr Lever?)

So yes, the Spitfire & the Hawker Hurricane, piloted by dashing Brits, Canadians, Free French, Czechs & Poles and the odd American (but not that bl**dy Tom Cruise) valiantly defended these shores against the Bosch during the Battle of Britain in 1940, giving them a damn good thrashing, bloodying the Hun noses and sending the sausage-eating Nazis back to Germany with their tails between their legs, thus thwarting that naughty chap Hitler's Operation Sealion and his attempts to invade England. Hip hip Hoorah!

Now I hope you'll join Chalky, Ginger, Smudge and I in the mess tonight at strictly 21:00 hours, where we're going to be celebrating, tinkling the ivories with a knees up Mother Brown or two and downing a few Spitfires of our own. Chocks Away!!

(And finally, chaps & chapesses, don't forget to make your vote count for the 3 remaining contenders in the Great British Design Quest, there's a good egg )