A NEW £400,000 project to commemorate the life and work of a leading figure in World War II was launched in Moffat this week.
The Moffat Spitfire Project will see the relocation and installation of a lifesize replica of a PT 462 Spitfire, which currently sits in a garden in the town.
It will be moved to a specially landscaped area in the grounds of Dowding House by the autumn of next year.
The plane will be mounted above a union flag emblem made of red paving, cultivated lawns and flower beds filled with blue flowers.
And standing beneath its wing will be a bust or statue of Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, who was a commander during the Battle of Britain and played a crucial role in the UK’s defence and in bringing modern aircraft, like Spitfires, into service.
He is one of the best known Moffat natives, born locally in April 1882 and educated at St Ninian’s school until he was 15. It is now Dowding House and serves as a sheltered development, owned by the Royal Air Forces Association, and exclusively for the use of ex-RAF personnel.
The replica plane currently sits in the garden of former RAF VR pilot Dr Hamish MacLeod, on the other side of the town.
He has been working on the memorial project with Alistair Kerr who became involved after reading an article about Dr MacLeod.
Alistair said: “He was thinking of bequeathing it to Dowding House, and I thought this is a brilliant idea.
“One morning I was driving to Edinburgh and stopped off early in the morning and saw the aircraft in Hamish’s garden – then started thinking how I could help. The main issue was that for Hamish to be granted his wish he would have to pass away – so I thought I should try and meet him as, to my mind, dreams are better realised whilst living.”
The two men first met in-person in January 2022 and hit it off straight away, talking for over four hours about their shared interest in aircraft and cars. From there they began corresponding and planning the ins and outs of the installation.
Alistair said: “The main thing was Hamish now could see the merits of him, his family, friends and beyond seeing his Spitfire at Dowding House – so this was go for me.”
He reached out to RAFA in January 2022 to say rather than sitting the plane in Dowding House’s car park, it would be better to level the sloping area in front of the building, which the elderly residents could not use and, place it there.
Alistair added: “I then described the layout and the elevation of the plane and that to give the area ‘a second life’ the main path leading up to a statue of Dowding and the Spitfire could be illuminated.
“Beyond this I detailed how its existence would give residents of Dowding House a new and useful area to walk around and sit and contemplate life.”
Describing when Dr MacLeod first saw the proposed images, Alistair added: “He was clearly stunned for two or three seconds, then hugely enthusiastic. The night shot elicited “Wow”, which is pretty much what everyone says once they see it.”
Since then Hamish and Alistair have been working behind the scenes to make the project a reality.
It has been split into three phases, with phase one being the installation of the aircraft at Dowding House and the transformation of the surrounding area, which has an estimated cost of £300,000.
Phase two will see the development of an educational element to deliver an interactive experience for children and a proposed partnership with the nearby Old Well Theatre, with a forecast startup sum of £100,000.
Finally, phase three will be an expansion to include visits from care homes and other groups.
The project committee hosted their first meeting last night at the Old Well Theatre to gather the views of residents and business owners.
They are aiming to have it completed by autumn 2024.
For more information about the Moffat Spitfire Project visit: www.moffatspitfireproject.co.uk.
