A charity aiming to build the first airworthy De Havilland Mosquito in the UK for more than 70 years wants to hear from people that have connections to the marque or might have stories to recall from family members of their involvement in building the aircraft.
Known affectionately as ‘The Mossie’ or ‘The Wooden Wonder’, the People's Mosquito project team is building an archive of materials, with rare photographs, written first-hand accounts, oral recordings and stories of those involved with the aircraft, not only in its operation, but more importantly, its manufacture during the dark days of World War Two. It was a collaborative effort of immense proportions, involving over 100,000 people at its peak.
Almost 1,400 Mosquitos were built at De Havilland's factory at Leavesden, in Watford, during World War Two as companies and individuals joined forces to form a home-grown industrial army from across London and the South East.
Tiny cottage industries combined with well-established companies under De Haviland’s guidance, with small carpentry shops joining large car manufacturers and furniture makers and established aeronautical experts like Alliance Aeroplane Co. at Acton Aerodrome, Rolls Royce across various sites, Hawker Aircraft at Kingston Upon Thames, and Fairey Aviation at Hayes in Middlesex. Companies included Parker Knoll in High Wycombe, Waring and Gillow in Hammersmith, Electrolux and Vauxhall Motors at Luton, Fords of Dagenham and Hoopers Coachbuilders, Park Royal, to name just a few of the many scattered all over the region and further afield.
The Mosquito build team at Wrighton Aircraft in Walthamstow, proudly pose next to the 1,000th Mosquito fuselage built at the factory
John Lilley, chairman and managing director of the People's Mosquito, said: “There must be hundreds of people in the London area and South East region that will know or be aware of family connections to the Mosquito and it is these people we need to talk to.
"As we continue vital work on the aircraft build, we need to collate such memories in our archive which will then be available to future generations that witness this remarkable aircraft in flight. It will be the first Mosquito to fly in Britain for over 30 years, a fitting tribute to the heroes of the period - and built here, with the support of so many aviation enthusiasts from around the world.”
The Mosquito fuselage production line at Wrighton Aircraft
The project is part-way through the initial stages of aircraft build, with the level of fundraising ultimately affecting the build time. They publish updates on a regular basis, so if you would like to be kept informed, sign up for the email newsletter from their website.
John added: “Some might not even be aware that their parents or grandparents were involved in such important work. As families communicate often online during these strange lockdown times, it will be the ideal time to ask parents, aunties and uncles of any known family association. Ladies made up the majority of the workforce in some of these factories, so you might be surprised to discover what your grandmother did."
Mosquito tail plane construction at Hooper's, the famous bespoke coachbuilders, of Park Royal, north west London
If you have any recollections, discover photographs or stories you believe the team will be interested in, contact them by emailing archivist@peoplesmosquito.org.uk or by using the ‘contact us’ page on the website www.thepeoplesmosquito.org
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