A photograph of a spitfire plane, one of which was purchased with the proceeds of a public fundraising appeal in Buln Buln Shire during World War II.
The successful appeal was possibly why the township of Drouin was selected for the “A Small Town at War” photographic series by Jim Fitzpatrick in 1944.
The Buln Buln Shire Spitfire Fund started with a public meeting at the Drouin Memorial Hall on June 2, 1941. Buln Buln Shire had raised the idea of a public appeal for the purchase of war weapons.
One day of canvasing Drouin’s main street resulted in £1122 raised. The goal was to raise £5500 to purchase a spitfire plane.
The launch was a public meeting held in the memorial hall, with Mr A. G. Pretty elected president and Mr T. J. Ryan secretary of an organising committee. Rallies were also held in Noojee, Neerim South and within the other 460 square miles of the Buln Buln Shire. Over six weeks, £6607 was raised.
Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies and his wife came to Drouin on Sunday, August 3, 1941 to collect the funds raised. He was met by shire president Cr F. A. Lilley and presented with an illuminated certificate by shire secretary T. J. Ryan and on behalf of the fundraising committee. Mr J. D. Grubb presented a bank draft.
Mr Menzies, in his speech, said it was the first time he had been in a country town since returning from overseas.
The supermarine spitfire is one of the most famous aircraft ever built. Reginald J. Mitchell, an engineer from Staffordshire, developed the aircraft in 1936, basing the design on seaplanes. The spitfire had a very aerodynamic shape, and early variants were fitted with the successful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.
Mitchell was aware of the frailties of the planes used during World War I and wanted to build a plane that not only flew faster but was safer for the pilot. The spitfire was more robust, could fly at a speed of 454mph (730km/h) and carried eight .303 machine guns, twice the number of previous aircraft.
It is worth noting that out of 22,000 spitfires built, only 179 survive. Many of these are “wrecks”. The last operational sortie by a spitfire took place in Singapore on April 1, 1954.
Information courtesy of the Drouin History Group.
Visit drouinhistorygroup.org.au if you would like to learn more about the group.
