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Colin Lee's design

DRIVING down the M3 on the approach to Southampton it would be a sight that is impossible to miss.

The looping Spitfire would welcome thousands of visitors to the city every day and surely become one of Britain's defining icons.

A statue of the legendary RJ Mitchell proudly gazing skywards at his most decorated fighter plane - the Spitfire - as it performs an inverted loop.

Rising up from a site, where the M3 meets the M27, a steel crest of a wave tells the remarkable story of the Spitfire.

From Mitchell's rough sketches to the first flight over Eastleigh, the sacrifice of the workers and pilots and its eventual triumph at the Battle of Britain.

This is the latest proposal for a fitting monument to the iconic aircraft that could help put Southampton back on the map and give the city the elusive wow factor.

It was dreamt up by Daily Echo reader Colin Lee after the proposed Spitfire of the South - inspired by Newcastle's Angel of the North - was unveiled last year.

After the 44-year-old's draft design was welcomed by Echo readers last December, Mr Lee returned to the drawing board to create his final design.

The Freemantle resident today throws down the gauntlet to the Spitfire Tribute Foundation which has employed two professional design firms to come up with its own proposals.

Mr Lee said a tribute to the Spitfire was well overdue but the proposed structure - with the Spitfire standing upright on its tail - wasn't suitable.

He said: "99 per cent of comments and letters I have read in the Echo and from people I have talked do not appear to be in favour of the present proposed design.

"My idea was to try and capture the Spitfire in flight. It doesn't have to be inverted but thought it would be easier to see the shape from the ground and illuminate it at night."

After scouring Google Earth, he settled on the motorway location as it would be seen by the most number of people.

"Originally I chose Mayflower Park as it's away from major buildings and would be visible from cruise ships entering the Western Docks," he said.

"After hearing they had moved the play area because it took up too much space for the Boat Show I don't think a memorial there will now be possible.

Inspired by artist Paul Day's Battle of Britain Memorial on the banks of the Thames, in London, Mr Lee said the sculpture should retell the Spitfire's history.

"It's important to tell the story of the Spitfire for future generations for the part it played in saving this country from fascist Germany," he said.

"I hope a monument would be an icon for Southampton and make the residents proud of its link to this beautiful aircraft."

The Spitfire Tribute Foundation's remit is to create a striking memorial, costing between £1m and £2m.

Funding for the attraction will be sought from Government bodies, private business sponsorship and public subscription in Britain and throughout the Commonwealth.

8:29am Sunday 20th July 2008

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