Editing Liverpool John Lennon Airport (section)

===Second World War===
At the beginning of 1937, [[Liverpool City Council]] leased between {{convert|70|and|110|acre|abbr=off}} of their Speke Estate on a 999-year lease to the [[Air Ministry]]. The price included at all times the use of Speke Airport next to the [[shadow factory]] site. The [[London, Midland and Scottish Railway|LMS Railway]] provided a siding. Erection of the building was planned to take 30{{nbsp}}weeks and when complete it would provide employment for more than 5,000{{nbsp}}people. It was to be managed by [[Rootes Securities Ltd|Rootes Securities]] on behalf of the Air Ministry. Work started Monday 15 February 1937.<ref>Liverpool Aeroplane Factory. ''The Times'', Saturday, 13 February 1937; pg. 9; Issue 47608</ref>

During the [[Second World War]], Speke was requisitioned by the [[Royal Air Force]] and known as RAF Speke. [[Rootes Group|Rootes]] built in a "[[British shadow factories|shadow factory]]" by the airport to produce [[Bristol Blenheim]]s and 1,070 [[Handley Page Halifax]] bombers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forgottenairfields.com/united-kingdom/england/merseyside/liverpool-speke-airport-s1198.html|title=Liverpool (Speke) Airport|website=forgottenairfields.com|language=en|access-date=14 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820014212/http://www.forgottenairfields.com/united-kingdom/england/merseyside/liverpool-speke-airport-s1198.html|archive-date=20 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed Aircraft Corporation]] assembled many types of planes at the airport, including [[Lockheed Hudson|Hudsons]] and [[North American P-51 Mustang|Mustang fighters]], that had been shipped from the United States in parts to [[Port of Liverpool|Liverpool Docks]]. The airport was also home to the [[Merchant Ship Fighter Unit]].<ref name="liverpoolecho.co.uk" />

On 8 October 1940, Speke was witness to what is thought to be the fastest air-to-air combat "kilo" in the [[Battle of Britain]] and possibly of all time. [[Flight Lieutenant]] [[Denys Gillam]] took off in his [[Hawker Hurricane]] from Speke to be confronted by a [[Junkers Ju 88]] passing across him. He shot the Junkers down while his [[Landing gear|undercarriage]] was still retracting, and, along with [[Alois Vašátko]] and Josef Stehlík, all of [[No. 312 Squadron RAF|312 Squadron]], was credited with the kill. The moment has been caught in a painting by Robert Taylor called ''Fastest Victory''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.south-lancs-aviation.bravepages.com/ju88.htm | title = Shooting down of a Ju88 by No 312 Squadron | publisher = RAF Millom Aviation & Military Museum Group | access-date = 21 January 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120630123628/http://www.south-lancs-aviation.bravepages.com/ju88.htm | archive-date = 30 June 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="ahfv">{{cite web | url = http://www.aceshighgallery.co.uk/viewer/206.html | title = Fastest Victory | publisher = aceshighgallery.co.uk | first = Robert | last = Taylor | access-date = 10 September 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081007224757/http://www.aceshighgallery.co.uk/viewer/206.html | archive-date = 7 October 2008 }}</ref>