Morton, the take off/cruise switch was, I believe, applicable only to the Mk 2 with 301 engines. The aircraft at Wellington, if that is the one referred to was a Mk 1. No I am not sure but I think the Mk 1 had a similar start system to the Mk 2 though not quite the Mass rapid.
Essentially they could go from power off to airborne in about 30-45 seconds. I watched one display scramble where one aircraft got airborne on 3 and another on 2 and a third spooling up after lift off. The captain in that instant was Dicky Bird.