THIS IS
FINDON VILLAGE — These Chronicles are created by Valerie Martin and contain scenes from her home village of Findon, West
Sussex, U.K.
THE LONG FURLONG CONNECTION WITH THE SWANDEAN
SPITFIRE SPECIAL — the full story....
|
1950 — Here is a preserved Spitfire SL 721 on display in a fenced off
compound beside the forecourt of proprietor Michael Wilcock's Swandean
Motor Garage in the Arundel Road not
far from Findon.
This fighter had been formerly flown in the Second World War by Air
Chief Marshal R. James M. Robb ?.C.B., K.B.E., D.S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C.
The Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine was still in perfect condition at the time
of this photograph and was actually started up and running in the forecourt on Battle
of Britain Day, at 11 a.m. each year. It was run for 40
minutes....what a shattering sound.
It is said that Michael loved Merlin engines so much that he fitted yet
ANOTHER Merlin engine (bought for £150. in the early 1950s) in a specially
built car.... the Swandean Spitfire Special Read on.....
|
Copyright Valerie Martin 2011
The following is my story of how I came to learn about the
existence of the Spitfire at the Swandean Garage. The late Tony Hammond (a one time resident of Findon) set
me a puzzle in the autumn of 2004, when he asked —
|
15th September 2004
Valerie - Do you know about the Spitfire Special at
Swandean?
Tony.
Tony Hammond, East Preston, West Sussex.
|
Tony was well known for sending me cryptic
messages and I knew he would reveal all before very long. He
was a man of
many talents and way back he appeared in Joan Allen's book "Glittering
Prospects" at a period in his life when he did metal detecting. He was working full time as a free
lance in the metal detecting business which gave him many opportunities to
go treasure hunting (as it was called in those days). He was labelled
quite a professional at his new found trade but this was thought up by the
publicity men and, unfortunately, many people thought it implied that he made a
living out of unearthing treasure all day long! His hobby did,
however, get him to appear on the programme "Jim'll Fix It" on the television.
It was only a couple of hours before I heard from
Tony again....
| 15th September 2004
Swandean Spitfire
Valerie - Way back in the fifties on Battle of Britain
Sunday the people living in the Swandean area were treated to the sound of a
Rolls Royce Merlin going at full chat. Not in the air but from
the forecourt of the Swandean garage, for here in all its glory sat a
complete Spitfire.
The garage owner had a thing about Merlins not being satisfied with the
one in the aeroplane he put ANOTHER in a car and called
it the Spitfire Special and it is said that it was tested along Findon's Long
Furlong road.
Sorting through some old photos I took at the
Brighton Speed trials sometime in the fifties I came across this picture
which I believe is car in question. Can anybody out there confirm this.
Tony.
Tony Hammond, East Preston, West Sussex.
|
Yes, the Swandean Spitfire Special it is being driven by Michael Wilcock the
creator.
| 10th February 2005
Spitfire SpeciaLat Swandeanl
In regards to a question by Tony Hammond, East Preston,
West Sussex on
the 15th of September,2004 about the Swandean Spitfire Special. That is
indeed a picture of the car in question.
I am currently helping restore it. It is now in St.
Louis, MO, USA.
It is in a private collection and is in very good hands.
Clayton R. Beeler, St. Louis, Minnesota, U.S.A.
|
I would have loved to meet the Swandean Spitfire Special being tested along
the Arundel Road to Patching and turning right and roaring over Long Furlong
(A280) to Findon (guzzling one gallon of petrol for each two miles travelled!)
|
2nd May 2007
Some time in the 1950s I saw
(and heard!) the "Special" perform at Brighton.
A few weeks later I went to
Swandean and found the garage -- and the car. I took a photo (with my full-plate
camera) and this is a small copy if you would like it for your records.
.....................Bill Hart".
|
In November 2009 I was delighted to hear
from Phil Goddin of Findon Village. He had discovered a bit from the
pages of 1954 local history......"Hi Valerie.... Found this on
the British Pathé News....Interesting local footage of the Mike Wilcock(?)
Spitfire SpeciaL car. This is the same vehicle as shown in your shot of the
Brighton Speed Trials.
I think the footage is of him
pulling onto the road is at the bottom of Salvington Hill by Swandean Hospital.
Do you recognise the lane
used for the road test?
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=47874
Best wishes....Phil
At the end of February 2011 I was
pleased that Clayton Beeler had not forgotten me.........."I
replied about your post regarding the Swandean Spitfire Special back in 2005.
I posted
that it was being restored and was in good hands. Since then it has been
completed.
click to enlarge
It finished,
I believe, 2nd place, at Pebble Beach. I’m including a picture I found on the
web of the car. It is very close in posture to the picture that Bill Hart took
back in the 50’s. A great comparison.
Best regards, Clayton R. Beeler, St. Louis, Minnisota, U.S.A".
Doug Attrell in Goring says that he
remembers his father taking him to see the Swandean Spitfire on the Swandean
Garage forecourt at Swandean.
I nearly forgot to mention what
happened to the original Spitfire SL 271 parked on Michael Wilcock's motor
garage forecourt in the 1950s. It is rather an odd story to say the least.
Michael Wilcock was eventually persuaded by the RAF in 1958 to
"lend" his Swandean Spitfire to them and they trucked it off to RAF Thorney
Island. I can only assume that the RAF did not have a Spitfire of their
own at this point for demonstration purposes! Here it went on
display for Battle of Britain Day.
It was then overhauled (and even unofficially flown by an
unknown pilot) and ended up with the other memorabilia at Lord Montagu's Motor
Museum in Beaulieu (as seen in the above picture). It stood
forlornly and uncovered on a plot of garden for some seven years and became
known as the Rose Garden Spitfire. All of this time the owner was
still Michael Willcock.
Eventually in 1965 he did a strange deal...an outright exchange
for a vintage 8-litre Bentley automobile owned by a certain Monty Thackray of M.
D. Thackray Limited. For the purpose of this "trade", both
the Swandean Spitfire and the Bentley were conveniently valued at £2,000.
Monty Thackray promptly had a heart attack (or was it maybe just
a change of heart) and sold the Swandean Spitfire to the Marquis of Headfort for
£,3000 and immediately made a £1,000. profit on the deal.
It seems Monty Thackray next discovered the true value of the
Spitfire and somehow promptly purchased it back from the Marquis for £4,000.
I am not quite sure where the Spitfire was housed all of this time as the
tracking of it was getting very complicated!
The Swandean Spitfire eventually found its way to the States to
be renovated and when it was foreign owned I lost complete interest in it at
this point.
But
what happened to the local man who loved Spitfires and Merlin engines, Michael
Wilcock? He was able to pack up and live on the island of
Jersey with his passion, a collection of seven vintage cars!
This is one of them. Michael at the wheel of a five-litre 1902
De Dietrich racer.
Doug Attrell in Goring emails..."To
complete the story Michael Wilcock passed away in February 2008 so his
Spitfire outlived him".
Continue if you would like to read about the
The Windlesham Motor Bomb.
THIS IS
FINDON VILLAGE
—
www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing
record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.
Back
to Second World War Index