“The Speed Up on Stirlings’ film was produced in 1942 by the Ministry of Information and details the production of Short Stirling bombers at the Short Brothers factory at South Marston in Swindon and how production was sped up by using a detailed sub-assembly process where parts of the aeroplane were produced in different factories and then delivered to the FS2 Erection Sheds at South Marston for assembly into the completed aircraft. The hangars shown in the footage are the FS2 Erection Sheds which exist to this day as part of the Thornhill Industrial Estate in South Marston, Swindon. The part of the film with the fuselage being towed past the buildings was filmed in South Marston village.

Over 2,000 people were employed in Swindon at the Blunsdon St Andrew, Friars Hill and South Marston works. At FS2, 500 staff put together the complete Stirlings with around 12-16 produced per month. Upon completion they were towed out of the FS2 hangars onto a concrete apron screened by a small grass hill where engine tests were run. The planes were then towed or taxied across Thornhill Road to the FS1 Flight Shed for pre-flight checks before then taxiing to the 1,000 yard concrete runways for take-off and flight tests.

The film features Percy Shepherd who was General Works Manager for Stirling production at Rochester Airport (Kent) but after Rochester Airport was badly bombed in August 1940 he relocated to Swindon overseeing Stirling production there. Many other workers also relocated to Swindon from Rochester including Jock West (Foreman). Both Percy Shepherd and Jock West narrated the film.”