Wyvern College, Eastleigh had to travel to and from by bus. Originally, the new school was known as the Eastleigh Secondary School, but within a year the new Headmaster, Robert Blachford, chose the distinctive name of Wyvern with the motto "Advance". This heraldic dragon has been connected with Wessex since Tudor times and formed the crest of Sir Francis Drake; it also featured on the badge of Mr Blachford's Wessex regiment. However, accommodation became a problem at the Wyvern County Secondary School, and in 1966 the Wyvern arose again at Fair Oak, in the centre of the catchment area which also included the
Westland Wyvern (and equally troubled) Blackburn Firebrand. Several second-line squadrons also received Wyverns around this time. Total production was 127 airframes with 124 aircraft completed, as the last three Eagle piston-engined airframes, VR138, -139, and -140, were never completed. The first carrier trials were carried out by the first pre-production Wyvern TF.2 aboard on 21 June 1950. Despite this, when the Wyvern S.4 entered service with 813 Naval Air Squadron in May 1953, it had not obtained clearance for carrier operations, this being obtained only in April 1954. The Wyvern was in service with the Fleet Air Arm from 1954 to 1958.