Starbeck thrill-seeker Roy Slim, 86, says flying 4,000 feet in the sky in World War Two Spitfires makes him feel young again.

The fearless octogenarian fulfilled a lifetime ambition to fly one of the planes for the first time well into his 80s and hopes to go again in early 2022. Spitfires were used by the RAF throughout the war, most famously in the Battle of Britain against the Luftwaffe.

Mr Slim has lived in Harrogate for over 60 years after working as a radio engineer at RAF Dishforth in the 1950s. However, his love of the Spitfire was forged as a boy, as he was brought up a stone’s throw from where they were built at Castle Bromwich in the Midlands.

He said:

“I used to dream that one day I’ll fly one of those things.”

When he flew the Spitfire, he had full control of the plane and even performed barrel rolls. He followed the same route pilots took during the war down the English Channel and over the white cliffs of Dover.

Roy Slim in the sky.

Read more:

• Starbeck and Bilton post offices raise almost £2,000 for local boy
• Defibrillator saves man’s life in Starbeck

Mr Slim said he has a deep respect for the brave men who flew the planes during the war.

“I am thinking, somebody has sat in this seat coming back from France having shot down a German plane, and I’m sitting in that seat!”

He said the experience is “tremendous”.

“I felt like my lifetime ambition was coming true.”

Mr Slim turned 86 today and has no intention of slowing down. As well as Spitfires, he’s learned to fly helicopters, Tiger Moths and performed skydives — all after he turned 80.

A spitfire will fly over Harrogate District Hospital this morning as a special thank you to the NHS.

The plane set off from Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire at 10am and is expected to reach Harrogate at around 10.50am.

Harrogate missed out in the spitfire’s last journey in July but today’s flypast is intended to thank hospital staff for their coronavirus efforts.

Read more:

• Harrogate District Hospital to increase covid tests for staff
• Coronavirus cases in North Yorkshire below national average

Steve Russell, the chief executive at Harrogate NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“For my colleagues who are able to they may wish to pop out to see the NHS spitfire pass over as a mark of thanks to every single member of the team, and all other key workers without whom we could not have played our part.”

The plane has been painted for the occasion with the words “Thank U NHS” under its wings and also bears the names of nominated NHS workers.

The Aircraft Restoration Company, which is behind the project, has raised more than £80,000 for NHS Charities Together, a federation of 250 charities that support the NHS, with flypasts since July.

The blue spitfire PL983 nicknamed ‘L’ was built for photo reconnaissance in the 1940s and has an interesting history. Lettice Curtis, a famous female pilot, once raced the spitfire, which now carries her name alongside those of the NHS workers.

A plaque to commemorate how the people in Harrogate raised funds for Spitfires during the Second World War has been unveiled today.

A government campaign in 1941 asked communities to raise funds to build more Spitfires. The people of Harrogate managed to raise £7,000 in support of the Spitfire campaign and, alongside other communities, was awarded a plaque by the government.

Over time, the plaque deteriorated and was sadly lost. The Harrogate Civic Society, and individual donors, have lead the efforts to fund a replica plaque.

Local historian, Malcolm Neesam, will write for the Stray Ferret tomorrow morning about Harrogate’s contribution to the Spitfire campaign.

The new plaque will be mounted at the Crown Hotel, in Harrogate, on Monday. It was unveiled today by Lord Houghton of Richmond – former Chief of Defence Staff.

The small group invited included MP Andrew Jones, two female war veterans, members of the armed services and donors.

Molly Todd (left) and Sheila Pantin (right) are both veterans from World War Two.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:

“I think it’s absolutely fantastic that we will have this on the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. It reflects the way the people of Harrogate came together in this moment of national emergency and contributed so much money to help the war effort. It has been a powerful and fascinating unveiling of this plaque and I look forward to to seeing it go up into location on Monday.”

Read more:

• Local historian, Malcolm Neesam, writes about the harsh realities for Harrogate residents during the war.
• Services were held across the district to commemorate VJ Day. 

Stuart Holland, Co Vice Chair of the Harrogate Civic Society, said:

“The civic society are really proud to have been given the opportunity to have a new plaque I’m quite moved by the response of the donors, people have been so generous in putting the money forward. The Civic Society now have been responsible for 86 plaques in the town now. We are working towards bringing together the masses of information about the town onto our website, before we lose it.”