Reginald Joseph Mitchell

R.J. Mitchell was the aeronautical engineer who designed the Supermarine Spitfire, the iconic fighter aircraft that helped win the Battle of Britain. Working at Supermarine in Southampton, Mitchell refined his racing seaplane designs into the sleek, elliptical-winged fighter that became the symbol of British defiance.Tragically, Mitchell died of cancer in 1937, aged just 42, and never saw the Spitfire enter service or its crucial role in the Battle of Britain. His genius gave Britain the fighter it needed at the moment it was needed most. His Oxford connections come through his education and engineering networks.