The Star of Stone Spitfire Story 1942 – 2023

On 19th June 2023 the Club was presented with a print of the Star of Stone Spitfire aircraft. The photograph below shows the Club Chairman, Major General Seumas Kerr and Mr Geoff Berriman with the print behind them. The Norwegian Defence Attaché, Captain Hope and his wife, Mrs Tove Hope, were also present together with other supporters and friends. Capt Hope, who is a VSC member, was also photographed with Mr Berriman. The story behind the print and the Spitfire is a fascinating one.

As part of their contribution to the UK war effort the people of Stone, in Staffordshire, England in 1942, raised £5,000 to fund a Spitfire. It was named ‘The Star of Stone’ because the fund-raising meetings were thought to have been held in the Star Inn, in Stone.

The aircraft was flown from RAF North Weald in Essex by the Norwegians of 331 Squadron, a top Squadron in RAF Fighter Command. The pilot was Flight Lieutenant Karl Jacobsen from Enebakk, near Oslo. He was one of the airmen who escaped from the German advance into Norway on HMS Devonshire, together with the Norwegian Royal Family and Government.

Sadly, on 19 June 1942, Karl Jacobsen was shot down over the North Sea. His Wingman that day was Jens Műller, who was also shot down but survived and imprisoned in Stalag Luft Ill. He was one of only three who made it home in the Great Escape.

In 1996, an artist named Charles O’Neill painted a picture of Karl in the Star of Stone Spitfire, flying over the White Cliffs of Dover. A limited number of prints were made. In 2018, Mr Geoff Berriman, a VSC member, organised a project to celebrate the Town’s funding of the Spitfire, and to commemorate Karl’s service and his sad death in action.

On 21 June 2018, Flight Lieutenant Tony Parkinson MBE, a Red Arrow and Chief Pilot of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, flew a two-seater Spitfire over Stone in honour of Flight Lieutenant Karl Jacobsen and also over Kidsgrove to honour the Spitfire designer, R J Mitchell. Geoff Berriman also flew in the two-seater Spitfire.

The Star of Stone Spitfire Project kindly presented a print of the Charles O’Neill painting to the Club Chair, Major General Seumas Kerr on 19th June 2023. This print can be found on the third floor of the Centenary Wing.