A 100-year-old man has shared his memories of working on one of the Second World War’s most iconic aircraft.
Stanley Hills began his career at just 14, joining the de Havilland Aircraft Company in June 1940 and being posted to Salisbury Hall.
The site, now home to the de Havilland Aircraft Museum, was then a highly secretive location where the Mosquito aircraft was being developed.
Stanley served as an assistant and tea boy to the design team, working inside Salisbury Hall and occasionally manning the telephone switchboard.
He recalled regularly crossing the moat via a rope bridge, though not without mishaps.
On one occasion, he accidentally dropped valuable plans into the water.
Stanley witnessed the construction of the prototype Mosquito in the ‘Barn’ hangar and remembered the urgency of the work as the design and production teams raced against time.
He also recalled the dangers of wartime Britain, including a German parachute mine landing in a nearby tree.
His most vivid memory was the maiden flight of the Mosquito Fighter prototype, W4052, on May 15, 1941.
Stanley said: "It was after work at around 6.30pm.
"My friend Ken Simpson and I were standing at the bottom of the field behind the hangar (today this would be on the concrete hardstand forward of the Walter Goldsmith Hangar) and the Mosquito took off down-hill and directly towards us.
"It was a close thing, but it lifted off and sounded tremendous as it passed directly overhead."
After his early involvement at Salisbury Hall, Mr Hills assembled bomb doors on the Mosquito production line in Hatfield before enlisting in the army at 18.
He is believed to be the last surviving member of the Mosquito design and production team.
The de Havilland Aircraft Museum, established in 1959, was Britain’s first aviation centre.
It now houses 20 historic aircraft, including the Mosquito and the world’s first commercial jet airliner, the Comet.
Visitors can explore artifacts and materials to handle, equipment demonstrations, talks and rare film clips and newsreels.
The museum is entirely operated by volunteers, who were recently honoured with The Queen’s Voluntary Service Medal.
It was also named one of the ‘best small museums’ by The Sunday Times.
In 2025, the museum received the Travellers’ Choice Award.
It also won the National Transport Trust’s Preservationist of the Year Award and was awarded a Red Plaque in 2026.
The museum offers free parking, as well as an on-site café, gift shop, and play area for families.
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