Spitfire Women of World War II. Giles Whittell

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      SPITFIRE WOMEN OF WORLD WAR II

      Giles Whittell

       For Karen

      Contents

       List of Illustrations

       Epigraph

       Prologue

       1 Encounter

       2 No Way Down

       3 Queen Bee

       4 The First Eight

       5 All Over Europe the Air Was Free

       6 Escape From Poland

       7 None of Us Is Snobbish

       8 We LIKE You In Your Harness!

       9 Brab’s Beauties

       10 The Perfect Lady’s Aeroplane

       11 The Originals

       12 Team Cochran

       13 Over Here

       14 Flygirls in London

       15 Hamble

       16 Heroines

       17 Girl Flies Halifax

       18 Mayfair 120

       19 Over The Top

       20 Eyes Wide Shut?

       21 Women of the World

       22 Left Behind

       23 Honeymoon in Belgium

       24 Better To Have Lived

       Epilogue

       Acknowledgements

       A Note on Sources

       Index

       By the same Author

       Copyright

       About The Publisher

       List of Illustrations

      Amy Johnson RAF Museum

      Gordon Selfridge and Rosemary Rees From ATA Girl, Memoirs of A Wartime Ferry Pilot by Rosemary du Cros

      Rosemary Rees with a Miles Hawk Major From ATA Girl, Memoirs of

       A Wartime Ferry Pilot by Rosemary du Cros

      Audrey Sale-Barker Courtesy Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

      Sale-Barker and Joan Page Courtesy Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

      Gerard d’Erlanger Courtesy Robin d’Erlanger/British Airways Museum

      Pauline Gower in a Tiger Moth Imperial War Museum

      Lt. Col. J.T. Moore-Brabazon Imperial War Museum

      The ‘First Eight’ Eric Viles/ATA Association

      The men of the ATA Imperial War Museum

      Lettice Curtis climbing into a Spitfire Courtesy Robin d’Erlanger/British Airways Museum

      Curtis and Gower in the cockpit of an Anson Imperial War Museum

      Gabrielle Patterson climbing out of an Avro Anson Imperial War Museum

      Diana Barnato Walker Courtesy the collection of Diana Barnato Walker

      Derek Walker Courtesy the collection of Diana Barnato Walker

      Joan Hughes Imperial War Museum

      Jackie Sorour Hulton Getty

      Mary de Bunsen Photograph by J.D.H. Radford, from Mount Up With Wings by Mary de Bunsen

      Freydis Leaf Courtesy Freydis Sharland

      Joan Hughes standing with a Short Stirling Courtesy Robin d’Erlanger/British Airways Museum

      Maureen Dunlop Hulton Getty

      Ann Wood Courtesy the Collection of Ann Wood-Kelly

      Ann Wood with her fellow flying pupils Courtesy the Collection of Ann Wood-Kelly

      Waiting to be cleared for take-off in a Spitfire Courtesy the Collection of Ann Wood-Kelly

      An ATA Anson Courtesy Robin d’Erlanger/British Airways Museum

      Ann Blackwell in a Typhoon Imperial War Museum

      Jackie Cochran Courtesy the Collection of Ann Wood-Kelly

      Helen Harrison, Ann Wood and Suzanne Ford Courtesy the Collection of Ann Wood-Kelly

      Pauline Gower at White Waltham Courtesy Robin d’Erlanger/British Airways Museum

      Cochran and Gower Courtesy the Collection of Ann Wood-Kelly

      King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Courtesy the Collection of Ann Wood-Kelly

      Eleanor Roosevelt at White Waltham Courtesy Robin d’Erlanger/British Airways Museum

      Helen Richey Courtesy Robin d’Erlanger/British Airways Museum

      Flt. Capt. Francis ‘Frankie’ Francis Courtesy the Collection of Ann Wood-Kelly

      Bobby