A SPITFIRE engraving has been presented to the people of Sunderland by the RAF.
The iconic Spitfire in a Battle of Britain scene was created by thousands of rivets placed and fired by visitors at this year’s Sunderland International Airshow.
This year is the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the outline and silhouette for the Spitfire picture, which is three metres long (nearly 10ft) by two metres, came from technicians at RAF Cosford.
Flt Lt Dan Jones, from the North East RAF Careers office, said: “It could be called a gun engraving and what it shows is a very typical scene from the Battle of Britain.
“With all its thousands of rivets, it was made by the people of Sunderland at the Sunderland International Airshow, and so the RAF thought it deserved to be in the North East.
“In creating the engraving, everybody got to put a rivet in and it was giving people an example of the sort of trades and work that can be experienced in the RAF.”
Flt Lt Jones said that Sunderland and the North East have always been strong recruitment areas for the RAF because engineering and technology are recognised career opportunities.
He said: “Without the work of aircraft mechanics or general technicians and all their trade and engineering skills, its fair to say that nobody would be flying. These trades are essential to the maintenance of RAF operations.”
The presentation to the people of Sunderland was made by Sqn Ldr Jayne Lindley with Flt Jones, and Sgts Pudney and Longmuir, to Councillor Henry Trueman, Deputy Leader of Sunderland City Council.
He is the City’s Armed Forces Champion and has an engineering background having worked as a motor mechanic.
Cllr Trueman said: “On behalf of everyone who fired a rivet, everyone who visited the Sunderland International Airshow and, indeed, everyone in Sunderland, thank you very much to the RAF.
“This engraving is quite an achievement. It’s a fitting tribute to those who fought in the Battle of Britain and a reminder of all the important work and tasks that there are for engineers, technicians, and all the other roles that help keep the RAF flying.”
The RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight includes a Spitfire and it has regularly flown at the Sunderland International Airshow. The airshow, with its air and ground displays along the city’s seafront, attracts hundreds of thousands visitors and is held annually at the end of July.
The engraving was presented to Cllr Trueman in the Mayor’s Parlour where he was joined the Mayor of Sunderland Councillor Barry Curran.
The council is now looking at a suitable display area for the engraving, which also depicts flags of the many nationalities that were represented in the RAF in 1940.