First Spitfire pilot Joseph Summers' birthplace marked

Joseph "Mutt" Summers flew the prototype Spitfire in 1936

A test pilot who was the first to fly the Spitfire has had a plaque unveiled in his honour in his home city.

Capt Joseph Summers, who was born in Hull, joined the RAF and later piloted the prototype fighter plane in 1936.

The Spitfire was the most famous plane of World War Two and gave Britain an advantage fighting the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain in 1940.

Historian Robb Robinson said: "Mr Summers is a Hull citizen who made a global impact but is not well known".

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Mr Robinson said: "The city has a series of people who made a global impact like William Wilberforce or Amy Johnson.

"This is an opportunity to redress the balance, the plaque honours a remarkable tale and the more people that know about Summers' role the better."

A Spitfire on active service in 1942

The Spitfire Mark I

• Had a top speed of 362 mph with 1,130 horsepower from its Merlin engine

• It was almost 30ft (9m) long and had a wing-span of more than 36ft (11m)

• Originally equipped with eight machine guns

• The original design went through many different specifications and armaments

Source: BBC iWonder

The Battle of Britain

• The Luftwaffe began attacks on Britain in mid-July 1940, but were met by a defiant RAF

• RAF pilots frustrated Hitler's airmen and, by late 1940, he had abandoned invasion plans

• An estimated 1,023 RAF and 1,887 Luftwaffe aircraft were lost in what became known as the Battle of Britain

Source: BBC History

• Hull's Spitfire pilot from Churchill's 'Few'

"Mutt" Summers was born in Hull in 1904 and joined the RAF in 1924, said Mr Robinson.

He became a test pilot for Vickers Ltd five years later and tested numerous fighters and bombers during a long career.

He was also a test pilot for the Wellington bomber and played a part in testing the bouncing bomb designed by Barnes Wallis during the war, said Mr Robinson.

He took the prototype Supermarine Spitfire for its first flight from an aerodrome near Southampton in 1936.

In the latter stages of his career in the 1950s he also flew the Valiant V-bomber, said Mr Robinson.

He died in 1954.

Mr Summers' brother, Maurice, also became a test pilot and Wing Commander in the RAF, added Mr Robinson.

The plaque in the city's Guildhall is part of the Lord Mayor's centenary plaque project to honour 100 Hull residents.

The plaque was unveiled in the city's Guildhall