A fully restored Spitfire was on Wednesday unveiled as the new centrepiece of the UK's Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent.
The aircraft will be unveiled in a 355-square-metre extension to the museum, which cost £5.4 million ($7.4m).
Its return to the Staffordshire city looks set to thrill museum attendees, both young and old.
The Spitfire RW388 was originally donated to the city in 1972 in recognition of its links with the designer of the warplane, Reginald Mitchell.
Having been sent to the workshops of Medway Aircraft Preservation Society in Kent for over three years, the plane returned to the museum in July.
It arrived in four pieces: the fuselage, tail and the two wings. Each was craned on to the new cafe terrace and wheeled into the building, under the careful supervision of a team from the RAF Museum. It was then reassembled in the new gallery.
The Mark XVI Spitfire, built at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham in May 1945, saw service in Germany shortly after the Second World War and last flew in 1952, when it was damaged during take-off at RAF Middle Wallop in Hampshire.
It was then used as a “gate guardian” at RAF bases before being donated to Stoke-on-Trent in honour of Mitchell, initially going on display in a large greenhouse-type structure on the city’s Bethesda Street.
Mitchell’s great-nephew, Julian Mitchell, said he could remember being taken as a small child to the earlier ceremony in June 1972.
“I am delighted that it has come back restored to how it was when I first saw it," Mr Mitchell, whose great-uncle died aged 42 in 1937, told PA.
“The plane means a lot to the people of Stoke-on-Trent. I think it means a lot to the people of the country and it’s a symbol of hope, the Spitfire.”
He said that the aircraft and its gallery would inspire visitors to think about the possibilities in engineering.
“There’s a massive skills gap in engineering and we need to do something to plug that gap," Mr Mitchell said.
“We want people to see how their future could be in engineering, and also tell the story of Reginald Mitchell the local boy, educated locally, born locally, apprenticed locally, who then went on to create the most beautiful aircraft that ever was built, that ever flew, and helped save the country in its hours of greatest peril.”
He said the Spitfire had shortened “clipped” wings and an engine tuned for lower altitudes.
“It’s been situated looking out so that as you drive down Broad Street, you can see between the buildings and you’ll be able to see it, particularly at night when it will be lit up," Mr Mitchell said.
“It is here, as a symbol of hope, of inspiration, and really something that says to anyone who drives past ‘anything’s possible’.”
He said the Spitfire had “endured” more than any other aircraft. The sight of one in flight was “a wonder to behold” and the sound of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine unmistakable.
Before the official unveiling, Second World War veteran Norman Lewis, 102, was given a sneak preview of the restored Spitfire, which he said was a “wonderful” sight.
Mr Lewis, from Meir, Stoke-on-Trent, was captured in June 1940 in France while serving with the Royal Engineers.
He said that he had spent five years as a prisoner of the Germans, before escaping and returning home through Odessa, Turkey, Egypt, Italy and Gibraltar.
“I covered 10,000 miles in three months and I arrived home on April 1, 1945," Mr Lewis said.
"Some good news was, when I got to Egypt they told me I’d got five years back-pay to pick up, which was wonderful.”
The Spitfire spent three years in a workshop at an airfield in Kent, where it was restored, before being taken back to north Staffordshire in June, with a crane lifting it into its new home.
The exhibition has been financed by £210,000 from a joint fund run by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in partnership with the Wolfson Foundation.
Further funding of £47,000 was raised with help from Operation Spitfire, the Friends of the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, and through visitors’ donations.
History of the Spitfire RW388
The Spitfire RW388 entered service too late to see combat in the Second World War, being first a training aircraft and later towing targets for Navy ships so they could aim their guns accurately.
In 1952 it was damaged in a flying accident and never flew again, instead becoming a gate guardian at RAF Benson and then at RAF Andover.
In 1968, marking the 50th anniversary of the RAF, RW388 was converted to appear at the Royal Tournament at Earl's Court in London and at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The aircraft was disguised to appear as Spitfire AB917, known as “The Inspirer”.
The aircraft is designated “LF”, which identifies it as a low-altitude fighter. Aircraft of this type were commonly fitted with the clipped wingtips which improve performance at lower altitudes.
Another distinguishing feature is its low back and “bubble” canopy. Earlier versions had a higher back.
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Celta Vigo v Villarreal (midnight kick-off UAE)
Saturday Sevilla v Real Sociedad (4pm), Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (7.15pm), Granada v Barcelona (9.30pm), Osasuna v Real Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Levante v Eibar (4pm), Cadiz v Alaves (7.15pm), Elche v Getafe (9.30pm), Real Valladolid v Valencia (midnight)
Monday Huesca v Real Betis (midnight)
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More on Quran memorisation:
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
