Stanley Gordon, who helped build Secret Spitfires, dies aged 96

Stanley James Gordon moved to Salisbury in 1933 with his family at the age of 7.

Stan attended Lower Bemerton School, playing in the fields that became Churchfields and then Highbury Avenue.

At 14 he started work with Southern Electricity Board, but didn’t like it and as the war started joined the ATC and registered with the employment exchange as a cadet anticipating being called up when old enough. He was soon identified for his skills and asked to join a vehicle body repair workshop off Devizes Road, called Witt and Vincent.

During the Blitz, co-owner Les Vincent took the boys by train to British Oxygen in London for a 10-day course on how to weld aluminium. Each day the supervisor would smash their work to see if the weld broke!

Upon return to the workshops, with their certificates, they were tasked with others to build aluminium “things”. No one knew what they were making or what it was for, but every week a lorry would arrive and take away their products.

Unbeknown to Stan and the others, they were now part of the Salisbury workforce that built the Secret Spitfires. Many only found out recently when the story was revealed and Stan featured in the film and book.

Stan was eventually called up as the war ended and joined the “Green Jackets”. He was one of the last to be called up and with his battalion found himself standing in the crater at Hitler’s bunker in Berlin before it was demolished. 

A colourised picture of Stan on Hitler's bunker before it was demolished (Image: Family)

After Demob, Stan returned to car repairs and after a short spell in a flooring company in Aylswade Road, was headhunted by Wessex Motors, who were based in New Street where the car stack is now.

He became head panel beater and aluminium welder and specialised in repairs to Rolls Royce, Bentley and Aston Martin.

While at Wessex Motors Stan started on his own, laying floors and signed up with skilled friends to take part in the First Salisbury Self Build Housing Scheme, cutting the first turfs in what became Anderson Road and the start of what is now Bishopdown and where Stan lived for the rest of his life. 

In the 1960-‘s Stan and his first wife Madge enjoyed caravanning and camping but couldn’t understand why Salisbury didn’t have its own site. So he set off to meet the Mayor at the time, Cllr Josephine Benson. Stan convinced the new Mayor to trial Hudson’s Field for the year. It was a huge success and they repeated it the following year. Because of Stan and the late Lady Benson, 50-plus years later Hudson’s Field is still the premier home of camping and caravanning for visitors to Salisbury. 

Stan passed away after a very short illness.

Leaving Faye his daughter, Maureen his second wife and her son’s Steven, Chris and their families.

With thanks to Andy Rhind-Tutt for supplying the words and photographs