Jeffrey Quill - Portrayal in Film

Portrayal in Film

The First of the Few (released in 1942 and known in the USA as "Spitfire") was a British feature film, made in wartime and produced and directed by the actor Leslie Howard, who also played the part of R J Mitchell, designer of the Spitfire. With opening and closing sequences set during the Battle of Britain, and following Mitchell's career from the Schneider Trophy races through to the design and flight-testing of the prototype Spitfire, the film was shot in Britain during 1941 and released in 1942, with a musical score by William Walton. David Niven played the part of "Geoffrey Crisp", a composite character based on the Schneider Trophy pilots of 1927, 1929 and 1931, and Vickers Supermarine test pilot Jeffrey Quill. On 1–2 November 1941, Quill flew to RAF Northolt in a Spitfire Mk II, mocked up to resemble the prototype K5054. Flying for over an hour on 1 November and for 45 minutes on 2 November, he performed the aerobatic flying sequences that are shown in the final 15 minutes of the film. The project had the full support of Winston Churchill, enabling the producers to film at active wartime aerodromes and airfields, with the cooperation of Fighter Command.