Lee-on-the-Solent pupils win Daedalus road naming competition

PRIMARY pupils in Lee-on-the-Solent are shaping the area’s future by naming new roads and buildings at Daedalus.
Belinda Dickins
By Belinda Dickins
Published 1st Jul 2019, 15:38 BST
Updated 1st Jul 2019, 22:08 BST
Front l-r: Matthew Tribbeck, Austin Sharpe, Katie Swaffield, Macauley Sharratt, Edward Cavendish. Back l-r: Pete Mitham, project manager at Wates Residential, Stuart Hensby, head of sales and marketing at Radian, and Katherine Jones, document controller at Wates ResidentialFront l-r: Matthew Tribbeck, Austin Sharpe, Katie Swaffield, Macauley Sharratt, Edward Cavendish. Back l-r: Pete Mitham, project manager at Wates Residential, Stuart Hensby, head of sales and marketing at Radian, and Katherine Jones, document controller at Wates Residential
Front l-r: Matthew Tribbeck, Austin Sharpe, Katie Swaffield, Macauley Sharratt, Edward Cavendish. Back l-r: Pete Mitham, project manager at Wates Residential, Stuart Hensby, head of sales and marketing at Radian, and Katherine Jones, document controller at Wates Residential

The names will come from Second World War aircraft following a competition organised by Wates Residential.

Pupils from Lee-on-the-Solent Junior School and members of the Gosport Aviation Society and Lee Residents’ Association put forward more than 50 names for roads and buildings on the Daedalus Waterfront scheme.

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Chosen by Gosport Borough Council, the winning names include Hurricane Court, by Year 4 pupil Katie Swaffield, Lysander Court, by Matthew Tribbeck in Year 3, Barracuda Court, by Austin Sharpe of Year 4, Seahawk Court, by Year 6’s Edward Cavendish and Seafox Court, by Macauley Sharratt in Year 5.

The names pay homage to a number of airplane types, most of which were once stationed at the Daedalus base.

Fairey Barracuda was a dive bomber used to attack enemy battleships, first used by the RAF in 1943, and the Hurricane was a celebrated British single-seat fighter aircraft that took part in all major Second World War battles.

Meanwhile, other new road names include Courageous Road, Argus Road and Vengeance Road.

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Among the names shortlisted was Courtship Lane, which was submitted by Year 6 pupil Olivia Bird.

Her grandparents, James Marriott and Patricia Butler, met and courted while serving on the base. James was deployed to fight in the war, but survived a sniper attack to return and marry Patricia.

Darren Nickerson, headteacher at Lee-on-the-Solent Junior School, said: ‘This was a great way for our children to learn more about the history of the local area.

‘It is very exciting that in years to come they will be able to take future generations to see the places that they helped to name.’

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The road naming competition comes after a time capsule was buried by Wates Residential and members of the community to mark the start of work in November 2018.

The capsule, which will remain underground until 2043, included family photographs from two veterans who met while working at Daedalus and went on to get married, a fidget spinner, examples of current maths and English books, a Wates Residential team photograph and a blueprint of the site.

Related topics:Lee-on-the-Solent

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