THE story of the Spitfire aircraft bought with money given by people in St Austell during the Second World War will feature in a VE Day commemoration at the town’s library.

The event will be held on the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day on Thursday, May 8.

In 1940, people in St Austell were urged to contribute towards buying a Spitfire in the name of the town.

The campaign was successful and £5,000 was raised towards Spitfire R7116.

Similar fundraising efforts were equally successful in other Cornish communities, including Truro, Camborne and Redruth, St Ives, and the Isles of Scilly.

St Austell’s Spitfire flew sorties from RAF St Eval, near Mawgan Porth, on the north coast of Cornwall. The aircraft was involved in photographic reconnaissance.

The pilots usually operated alone, flying over areas of the English Channel and the Atlantic gathering strategic information. Several pilots were killed or shot down and captured.

On November 8, 1942, while over Guernsey, St Austell’s Spitfire was attacked by German aircraft and shot down. Australian Pilot Officer Norman Amos escaped injury when his plane crashed into the sea but he was captured and made a prisoner of war.

The library and Salsa (St Austell Library Support Association) will be staging an exhibition about life in the town at the time of the Second World War.

People are being asked to write down memories and provide photographs for the library to copy. The library also intends to record people’s memories. People can pop into the library or ring 0300 1234111. The email address is [email protected]

After the material has featured in the exhibition, it will be held as part of the record of bygone days in the town.

Meanwhile, the town council is providing funds for a number of VE Day street parties in the town.