M ---	Cadet	John Tait Abernethy
	b. 30 Nov 1915, Glasgow	2 Aug 1942 to Nov-42

 [Contract Terminated by ATA - held responsible for accident to Hind 25 Oct 1942: stalled whilst landing]

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.1014	2nd Officer [Seconded from RAF]	William Edward Charles Wootton 'Bill' Abney
	b. 7 Jan 1921, Upminster	19 May 1944 to Apr-45

 son of Henry Charles Wotton Abney (1881-1953)

Address in 1944: West Lodge, Upminster, Essex

prev. RAF, and An Actor:

[Wikipedia: He "played Reverend Copley on Coronation Street in 1977, and Jim Lorimer in 1980. His other television credits include The Adventures of William Tell, Crossroads, Special Branch, Play for Today, All Creatures Great and Small, Robin's Nest and The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

Abney was educated at Cranleigh School and the Central School of Speech and Drama.

As a film actor, Abney appeared in Horrors of the Black Museum (1959), Never Take Sweets from a Stranger (1960), Two-Way Stretch, (1960), Cone of Silence(1960), The City of the Dead (1960), Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973), The Legacy (1979), North Sea Hijack (1980) and Curse of the Pink Panther (1983).

As a writer, Abney wrote the story for "Poor Butterfly" (1969), an episode of Journey to the Unknown (TV series).]

Ferry Pool: 9

d. 26 Jun 1997 - Lambeth

from The Times, Tuesday, 8 July 1997: "Deaths: Abney, William, suddenly and peacefully on June 26th. Much loved friend of Barry and dear brother of Annabel and uncle of Robin Dewhurst and family. Service at Mortlake Crematorium, July 15th."

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.100	2nd Officer	Daphne Elizabeth Abrams
	b. 11 Mar 1916, Plymouth	23 Sep 1942 to 13 Feb 1944

RAeC 1935

via Taniya Morris

 father: William Charles Surry Abrams, mother Elizabeth Louise [Budden]

 prev: Secretary with Imperial Airways; ambulance driver

prev. exp. 8hrs 35min on Gypsy Moth

Address in 1942: 95a Coombe Lane, Bristol

 Postings: 5TFPP, 15FPP

"This pilot came to ATA with very little experience. She worked hard in Class I flying and reached a good standard. She should make a useful ferry pilot and a good officer"

 One accident:

- 8 May 1943, her Spitfire Vb AD555 landed with flaps up, overshot and was seriously damaged after she felt unwell during the circuit

m. 1943 Flt-Sgt Philip Lindley Hanson-Lester, RAF, prev. a theatrical producer (2 children Phillip b.1944, Taniya b. 1946, marriage dissolved)

  RAeC 1939

Off sick from 8 Sep 1943 - Contract Terminated Feb 1944

m. 1956 in Cheshire, Philip Rodney Wallis Robinson

 11 Mar 2016

"Like many of her generation she sees nothing special in what she did"

d. 18 Aug 2017 - Morgannwg House Care Home, Brecon, Wales

Her granddaughter Taniya Morris told me "You may have noticed my name & the unusual spelling of ‘Taniya’.  My mother & I were named after Taniya Whittall who is also on your list of ATA pilots.  I was also a military pilot - serving 17 years in the Army, flying Gazelle & Lynx helicopters in the Army Air Corps & commanding 652 Sqn AAC. So it runs in the family!"

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

Montana Standard et al, 1941

ATAM

Father: William Albert Acton, 120 W 3rd St, Xenia, OH (later moved to Dayton, OH)

Mother: Irene [Reece]

Ed. Xenia High School

prev. airplane sales, charter work for Dave Peterson Charter Service in Wichita, Kansas

prev. exp. 360 hrs on Beechcraft F17D, Culver Cadet, Cessna C145-165, Stinson, Cessna T50

Address in 1941: Wichita, Kansas

"Disregarding the fate of his friend, Bee Acton, of Wichita, Kan., has signed up for a year's service ferrying bomber and fighter planes from Canada to England [sic]. Acton, a commercial pilot, joined up shortly after his friend, Jim Wright, also of Wichita, was reported killed when a submarine sank the ship on which he was returning [sic] from England." 

At the end of his first contract the ATA described him as "a keen pilot competent to fly all types of single engne and light and medium7 twin aircraft. He proved a good type of officer and his behaviour was quite satisfactory."

His second contract was for 18 months with a "cessation of hostilities" clause included.

d. 8 Jul 1944 (Died in ATA Service) in Anson NK773 which was in a mid-air collision with Oxford X7134 and crashed at Rodbourne, 5 miles NE of Hullavington.

Pilot Flt Lt. Bernard N Phillips [RAF Serial No 45885] and passenger Sqn Ldr William A. Law [79047] in the Oxford were both killed.

The accident report says "Whilst the Anson was flying just below the cloud base an Oxford aircraft, piloted by an RAF pilot, came out of the cloud and struck the tail plane of the Anson. Both aircraft crashed in a field and were destroyed, all three occupants being killed."

"Neither pilot is held responsible for this accident."

Buried Maidenhead Cemetery (Section C, No 14KK).

The wording on the memorial is from Tennyson's poem 'Crossing the bar':

I hope to meet my pilot

Face to face

When I have crost the bar

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M---	Cadet	Albert Ernest Adams
	b. 23 Aug 1916, Dudley	5 Jul 1943 to Sep-43

prev. a draughtsman, then Fleet Air Arm, 1942-3

d. 6 Sep 1943 (Died in ATA Service) - Hart K6526, heavy landing at Thame on a training flight, 2 Sep 1943. The aircraft somersaulted onto its back and caught fire; Albert suffered extensive burns and was taken to RAF Halton hospital. He did not wish his wife informed 'as she is expecting a baby some time this week'.

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.351	First Officer	Charles Arthur Adams
	b. 8 Jan 1906, East Ham, London	25 Mar 1941 to 11 Nov 1941

prev. a London Transport driver, later inspector

RAF from Jun-40 to Mar-41 (Sgt, Link Trainer instructor)

Address in 1941: 51 Wilson Rd, East Ham, London E6

[Contract Terminated by ATA - Disciplinary Reasons]

d. Dec 1957  - Lambeth ?

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

Postings: 8FPP

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M ---	Cadet	John Henry Adams
	b. 20 Jan 1921, London	29 Apr 1942 to Jun-42

prev. a General Clerk, then RAF from 1941-2

[Contract Terminated by ATA - Unsuitable]

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.1120	3rd Officer [Seconded from RAF]	Alexander Sansonevitch Agaronoff
->	b. 27 Oct 1913, Samara, Russia	4 Jul 1944 to 15 Apr 1945

Ed. Denstone College, Uttoxeter, Staffs

Arrived from India in 1926 to attend school; 1931-32 in Egypt; naturalised British, 1935

Next of kin (Mother): Mrs R Martin, of Denvale, Old Wokingham Rd, Crowthorne, Bucks

prev: Estate Agent; RAF 1942-44

Also known as "Alexander Sterling"

Address in 1944: 21 Pembridge Sq, London W2

 Postings: 5FPP, 3FPP

One accident, his fault:

- 21 Mar 1945, he ran off the track whilst taxying Martinet RG994 in windy conditions; when he tried to get back on the runway one wheel fell into a concealed drain, and the aircraft nosed over.

"He showed signs of overconfidence, but otherwise his work was carried out satisfactorily"

[Contract Terminated by ATA]

Applied to be discharged from bankrupcy in April 1945: "lately carrying on business as Sterling & Co, 177, Regent St, and Piccadilly House, Piccadilly Circus". His hearing was on 17 April.

d. Aug 1994 - Chelsea, London

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.143	3rd Officer	Marie 'Monique' or 'Aggie' Jacqueline Agazarian
	b. 17 Jul 1920, Carshalton, Surrey	18 Oct 1943 to 30 Sep 1945

 Father: Le Von Berge Agazarian, originally from Armenia who fled to the UK in 1911, owner of an electrical company; mother: Jacqueline Marie-Louise de Chevalier, from France

Ed. Sacred Heart Convent, Roehampton (School Certificate, 5 credits), RADA and Paris

prev. from Apr-41, VAD attached to East Grinstead Hospital then RAF Uxbridge

Address in 1943: (mother) 7 Park Mansions, Knightsbridge, London

[ab initio pilot]

Two of her three brothers died in WWII; one in the RAF, the other in SOE

Completed "500 hours in Spitfires, Mustangs, Typhoons, Barracudas and Hellcats" as a Class III pilot.

After WWII, she gained her commercial licence and in July 1947 became a pilot for Island Air Charters / Island Air Services (IAS) which flew Proctors and Rapides between Lands End and the Scilly Isles, pleasure trips to Le Touquet and scheduled services to Deauville from Croydon.

Ex-ATA pilot Cecile Power also joined IAS, in November 1947.

Monique became Managing Director of IAS, then Chairman and Chief Pilot.

Island Air Services' first Dragon Rapide, (callsign 'Uncle Fox', although allegedly when Monique was pilot it was 'Auntie Fox''), in 1950. (c) Air-Britain

  Daily Mirror

m. 20 Jul 1949 in Brompton, London, Capt Raymond Charles Rendall (also of IAS, divorced 1973), three daughters Annette Francine, Mary and Lou-Lou

 She competed in the King's Cup air race in 1950 and 1952.

In 1956, Veronica Volkersz wrote that Monique was one of only 7 women flying commercially: -  "Monique Rendall is chief pilot and managing director of Island Air Services"  - and concluded that "The tragedy is that for women, commercial aviation is now - except, possibly, in Russia - a closed field."

[The others were Jackie Moggridge, Jean Bird, Suzanne Ashton, Zita Irwin, Diana Barnato-Walker and Freydis Leaf]

IAS ceased trading in 1959. After it closed, she was a pioneer in promoting flight simulation with Air Training Services Ltd, and published a manual on advanced instrument-flying procedures.

Having reverted to her maiden name, she lived at 84 Park Mansions, Knightsbridge, and d. 3 Mar 1993 from cancer, leaving £140,949.

"The sad loss of this splendidly professional airwoman, brilliant tutor, hugely energetic, ebullient, and lovable friend will be felt deeply by all who knew her." - The Independent

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.---	Cadet	Jean Mary Akerman
	b. 17 Dec 1922, Camberley	8 May 1944 to 3 Jun 1944

Father: Maj-General William Philip Jopp Akerman CB, DSO, MC, Director of Staff Duties Artillery, Army Headquarters India (Retired 1942, d. 1971); mother: Olga Phyllis [Steevens, d. 27 Dec 1922, i.e. when Jean was 10 days old]

Step-mother: Annie [Alexander] from 1925. Two step-sisters, Rosemary and Susan.

Ed. Bedgebury Park, Goudhurst, Kent

prev. WAAF (WMTS India)

Address in 1944: "Rotherwood", Churt, Farnham, Surrey

[ab initio pilot]

[Contract Terminated by ATA]

m. 25 Apr 1946 in Churt, Flt-Lt Dr David Stewart Crichton MBE, MB, ChB; one daughter Susan (Penny) [Buckley] 1948-2016

d. 13 Jun 2018 - Salisbury

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.948	First Officer	Thomas Aldren
	b. 5 Aug 1920, Lancaster	19 May 1944 to 13 Aug 1945

Parents: Richard Aldren, Isabella [Roberts] of 13 Mill St., Lancaster

prev. Local Government (Clerk, Public Health); RAFVR from 9 Jul 1940

Admitted as a "Freeman" to the roll of the City of Lancaster in 1938

 m. Jul 1944 in Lancaster, Joan [Boulton]

"TWO WELL-KNOWN members of the Lancaster Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society were married at St. , John's Church. Lancaster, on Monday. They are F.O. Thomas Aldren, formerly employed at the Lancaster Health Office, and now a Ferry Pilot in the Air Transport Auxiliary, only son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Aldren, of Mill Street. Lancaster, and Miss Joan Boulton (who is on the staff of the Canadian Treasury), younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Boulton, of South Road. Lan- caster."

Address in 1945: 21 South Rd, Lancaster

 d. 1 Mar 1953 at Royal Infirmary, Lancaster

"EX-R.A.F. OFFICER Death at 32

A Flight-Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force during the war, Mr. Thomas Aldren aged 32, of 21 South Rd, Lancaster, died in Lancaster Infirmary on Sunday. He had been in the infirmary for the past three weeks undergoing treatment for heart trouble.

A native of Lancaster, he was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School. When he left school he became a clerk In the Corporation Health Department. In 1940 he joined the Royal Air Force. He gained his wings in 1941 and was commissioned as a flying Instructor. In the the latter end of 1943 [sic] he was transferred to the Air Transport Auxiliary, and ferried many planes across the country. He returned to the R.A.F. and at the end of the war was demobbed as a Flight Lieutenant. He was married at St John's Church Lancaster, in 1945 [sic].

Following his war service he went to Nottingham where he quailfied as a Sanitary Inspector and became a meat and food inspector.

He returned to Lancaster in October 1951 but since had not been able to carry on his work owing to ill-health. An ex-member of Lancaster Golf Club, he was a former winner of the George Thompson Trophy, and a very keen player. He was also a former member of LADOS and a member of the Vale of Lune Rugby Club.

His wife survives." - Lancaster Guardian

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.1142 *	3rd Officer  [Seconded from RAF]	Wilfred Hector Aldrich
	b. 1 Sep 1919	5 Sep 1944 to 30 Apr 1945

d. Sep 2000 - North Somerset

W.163	3rd Officer	Susan Mary Aurea Alexander
	b. 19 or 20 Apr 1920, Horncastle Lincs	8 May 1944 to 30 Sep 1945

Father: Capt William James Alexander (a Company Director, Motor Trade, d. 1947), mother: Mary Jeanette [Rawnsley] (d. Jul 1941) of Raithby Hall, Spilsby:

  Raithby Hall, the home of the Rawnsley family

Ed. Benenden, Kent (School Certificate)

prev: WAAF

Address in 1944: c/o L S Dodds Ltd, Spilsby, Lincs

[Ab initio pilot]

Postings: 4FPP

One accident:

- 31 Jan 1945, in Swordfish II LS215; she failed to keep the aircraft straight on take-off, and it swung, hit a snow ridge and turned over

Gained her Royal Aero Club Pilot's Certificate (No 20753) as part of the ATA's 'Wings' scheme on 22 Nov 1945

d. 9 Jul 2000 - Taunton, Somerset

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

1940

Ed. Harvard Medical School

WWI, 1917-18

"First Great War flyer and pilot on the first New York to Bermuda flight in 1930"

d. 6 Oct 1979 - Iron Mountain, MI 

1933

ATA

The youngest of four brothers.

In 1933, a public schoolboy in Hythe, Kent; by 1936 a student at the de Havilland Technical School.

ATA Contract Terminated 4 Aug 1940; he then continued as a part-time pilot until 10 Nov 1941.

later, a test pilot for Fairey.

d. Aug 1987, Poole

Schlesinger Race in 1936 

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M71 *	Pilot	Cyril Percy Allen aka Aron
	b. 28 Jun 1901, London	12 Aug 1940 to 2 Apr 1941

Father: Benjamin (Benno) Aron, a hat and cap manufacturer, d. 1 Jul 1941. Mother: Kathleen Hannah [Jacobs]

B.Sc. 

Changed surname to Allen c. 1939

m. 1925 in Amersham, Bucks, Amy L [Townsend]

RAeC Certificate 9487 dated 4 Oct 1930, taken at London Aeroplane Club

Address in 1930: 55 City Rd, London EC2

prev. RAF from 1933 (Resigned 14 Mar 1939); Engineer;  Probationary Temporary 2nd Lieut, RN

 Postings:

 2nd Lieut, Royal Army Ordnance Corps from 9 May 1942

Surname reverted to Aron c. 1959

m. 1959 in Kensington, London, Jane [Webster]

Address in 1964: 23 Palace Gardens, Kensington

 d. 31 Mar 1980 1980 - London

Buried Willesden United Synagogue Cemetery, Willesden, London Borough of Brent, London

* Personnel File not seen 

W.70	First Officer	Helen 'Naomi' Allen
	b. 25 Jun 1913, Folkestone	24 Feb 1942 to 31 Oct 1945

RAeC 1934

Also 1934

1935, with Cobham's Flying Circus

ATA

née Heron-Maxwell

mother: Lady Heron-Maxwell, of 5 Staverton Rd, Oxford

prev: Secretarial / Lecturing on Gliding and Parachuting 

Parachuting with Cobham's Flying Circus in 1935; she made over 100 descents.

See http://www.afleetingpeace.org for the story of Cobham's Air Circus

The first woman Silver Badge (Soaring) holder in the UK, and one of the founder members (with Lady Bailey, Joan Price, and Amy Johnson) of the Oxford Gliding Club

m. 2 Mar 1938, Francis Cecil Howard Allen (d. 28 Jan 1939 aged 34 in Austria, after an operation for a duodenal ulcer.)

[According to my mother-in-law, who knew the family, "Apparently it was quite a straightforward operation, he woke up, said 'Hello Darling' and then promptly had a heart attack and died", but Naomi wrote that it was 6 days after the operation.]

"Scar on left side of neck"

Address in 1942: 2 Dalmevey Ave, London SW16

 Postings: 6FPP, 15FPP, 1FPP, 4FPP

  with Jean Bird in a taxi Anson, 1942 [all photos with thanks to Nick Thomas]

Reprimanded in August 1944 for "Loss of Ferry Pilot's Notes", and in May 1945 for "taxying with insufficient care"

6 accidents, 4 her fault:

- 15 Oct 1942, "careless taxying" crosswind in Hawker Audax K5599; the aircraft tipped onto its nose

- 9 Jan 1943, she overshot a landing in Spitfire JG953

- 22 Mar 1943, she landed without lowering the undercarriage of her Mustang 1a FD443

- 17 Nov 1943, a forced landing in a Seafire III, after the port cannon fairing blew off in the air

- 18 Dec 1943, she overshot a landing in Spitfire IX BS401, after encountering very bad weather and turning back

- 15 May 1945, she failed to control her Warwick BV343 while taxying, and one wheel fell into "an excavation at the side of the track"

"A really keen pilot of average ability who wants hard work. Her temperament is unusual and her attitude towards criticism is inclined to be resentful"

"Her technical knowledge is below average" [she admitted this was true]

Moved to Los Angeles in 1948

m. 1957 Howard D Thomas (a Real Estate agent) (divorced); one son, b. 1958, Nick - who has written a wonderful biography about her, using her diaries, called "Naomi the Aviatrix"

 d. 1983 - Leisure World, Laguna Hills, CA

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.91	First Officer	Mrs Joan Mary Allen
	b. 4 Dec 1914, Shillong India	15 Jul 1942 to 30 Sep 1945

 née Stapledon

Father: Gerald Stapledon ("of Calcutta, fourth son of William Stapledon of Lakenham, Northam, N. Devon", d. 1944), mother Eleanor Maud [Halliday], ("eldest daughter of Lt-Col S C Halliday, late R.A.") of Upton, Hartley Wintney, Hants

Ed. Rosemead, Littlehampton

prev exp: 34 hrs 30min on DH Moth, Hornet Moth, Magister, Whitney Straight in Malaya ('A' Licence No 76 gained in the Straits Settlements)

Sailed from Calcutta to London aged 4, with her mother and younger sister Maud Winifred in 1919, to Singapore in September 1935 and back from Bombay to Plymouth in Apr 1936.

m. Flt-Lt John Anthony Allen (d. 16 May 1941 in Singapore, in a training accident). Their son Christopher John was born 13 Jun 1941, but died aged 10 months in Cape Town, en route from Singapore.

Two accidents, both her fault:

- 2 Apr 1943, taxying her Auster III MZ186 without sufficient care, the propeller struck a marker flag

- 22 May 1944, the tail wheel of her Beaufighter broke off after a heavy landing

 m. Lt-Cmdr Keith Marshall (a daughter, Geraldine Mary b. 1958, d. 1979)

d. 7 May 1994 - Yelverton, Devon

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.106	2nd Officer	Myrtle Rita 'Mikki' Allen
	b. 26 Nov 1916, Paterson NJ	12 Aug-42 to 11 Feb-44

Father: William A Allen, mother Jeanette

Ed; Hawthorne High School, American School in Tokyo, Columbia University, NYC

prev. Mechanical Dept, Curtiss Propeller

 One of the original members of the 99 Club of women aviators.

She and her mother had visited the UK, in 1930

 prev. exp. 325 hrs

 Address in 1942: 70 Warren Ave, Hawthorne, NJ

Postings: 15FPP

One accident:

- 12 Sep 1942; she overshot her landing in a Hart, applied the brakes too harshly and the aircraft turned over.

Off sick from 22 Sep to 5 Oct 1942 with bronchial catarrh, and 18 Nov 1942 to 7 Feb 1943 with 'post-operation debility'

m. 23 Aug 1945 in St Louis MO, Major Joseph Watkins Carter, US Army Signal Corps. They met in London and had been engaged since Christmas Day 1942.

They divorced sometime before 1953.

After ATA, Myrtle served with the WASPs.

  https://twudigital.contentdm.oclc.org

but went to stay with her husband in Italy from 5 Nov 1946 to 14 May 1947, and then spent two years in Japan, 1951-53

 m. 1953 in Paterson., NJ, Carl Henry Willer

Later a secretary with the US Treasury Dept; moved to Florida in 1965 from Washington DC.

d. 10 Jun 1966 - Tampa, FL (Age 49)

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.----	First Officer	Raymond Sylvester Allen
	b. 15 Jan 1921, Bristow Oklahoma	22 Mar 1941 to 21 Mar 1942

Father: Joe Allen, mother Agnes [Johnson]

"He resigned as an instructor and pilot at Beaumont, MO with a record of 1,800 commercial flying hours" - The World, 28 Apr 1941

Sailed back to the US on the SS Vibran on 20 Mar 1942 with fellow American ferry pilots James Bruce Warren, Jack Edison Jenkins, Homer Edward Anderson (M.496), Robert Leonard Hamilton, John Cleveland Davis (M.416), James Emor O'Halloran, John R Scribbens, Paul Blecker Makepeace, George H Robertson, Frank C Hoffman, William Raymond Cooper (M.531) and Emmett Chaffin

Later flew 'The Hump' with CNAC - see CNAC Captain Raymond S. Allen

d. 5 Aug 1999, Bristow OK

(Naturalised 1916)

Address in 1940: 41 Clifford St, Hartford, CT

prev. pilot; 3 yrs in 118 Observation Sqn, Connecticut NG, 4 yrs AAA Aerial Survey

Sailed to Liverpool to join the ATA, arriving 11 Nov 1940, with fellow American pilots Charles Smith, Donald Annibal, Francis Bender, Robert Gragg, Dan Jacques, Malcolm Stewart and Roy Wimmer.

[Resigned]

Later joined Eastern Airlines

d. 1979

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.846	First Officer (Seconded from RAF)	John Sharp Ambler
	b. 24 Jun 1905, Heaton, Bradford	28 Jan 1943 to  15 Apr 1945

1939 - Yorkshire Aero Club

ATAM

Father; Sam Ambler, mother: Emily Beatrice [Sharp], of Hoyle Court, Baildon, Yorks

One sister, Ruth Beatrice (m. 1923 Emerson Lyman Fisher-Smith, m. 1935 Geoff Morris). His elder brother Lieut. Edward Sharp 'Ted' Ambler (b. 1898) 2nd Bn Scots Guards, d. 8 May 1918 in France

Ed. Shrewsbury School

A bit of a tearaway in his youth:

 "SMASH - THEN FINES. Said to have been racing, John Sharp Ambler, spinner, Hoyle Court, Baildon, and Laurence B. King, of Helsley. near Chester, were each fined £5 and costs at Otley yesterday for driving motor cycles to the danger of the public.

It was stated that when near the Junction Hotel, the machine which King was riding met with an obstacle, and it shot from under him. King turned several somersaults and fell on the road. Ambler ran into the kerb about six yards beyond. " - Leeds Mercury - Saturday 22 March 1924

 "BAILDON MOTOR CYCLIST'S SPEED John Sharp Ambler, worsted spinner, Hoyle Court, Baildon, was summoned for driving to the danger of the public at Baildon on November 12. It was stated by Police Constable Cooper that he was standing in a garage along Otley Road about 2.05 p.rn. when the defendant dashed past on a motor cycle combination at an exceptionally fast and dangerous speed. The constable ran out on the footpath, about seven yards from where hod been standing, and the machine then was 110 yards away.He saw the defendant later, and after some hesitation, Ambler replied that he did not pass until 2.15 p.m., and was driving very carefully.

Mr. W. T. Scholes for the defendant, submitted that the police hod made mistake in their man. The defendant went to Baildon Station to catch the 1.57 p.m. train to Bradford, but missed it. He returned home, got into his motor clothes, and rode to business. It was 12 minutes past 2 when he passed the public clock at Shipley. Defendant said he had not to be at business until 2.30, and he did not travel at more than 17 miles per hour. He mentioned that he broke the machine on the journey, and it took four days to mend it. After hearing other evidence, the magistrates found the defendant guilty. It was stated that he had been lined £5 for a similar offence at Otley in March last year. He was now fined £5 and his licence suspended for two months." - Shipley Times and Express - Friday 12 December 1924

"CROSS-ROADS CRASH. John Sharp Ambler, worsted spinner. Royal [sic] Court. Baildon was fined £10, with £4 6s. 6d. costs, at Scarborough to-day, for driving dangerously.

Mr G B Parker, prosecuting, said Ambler drove down Holbeck Road at 50 miles hour and at the cross-roads caught a mailvan driven by Herbert King, who was thrown out and injured. Ambler denied that was driving at such a speed, and said he had slowed up to 15 mph at the cross-roads." - Yorkshire Evening Post - Friday 5 May 1933

prev. a 'worsted spinner'; RAF from May 1941

prev. exp. 190 hrs on DH Moth, Oxford, Wellington

 Postings: 9FPP

Two accidents, both his fault:

- 13 Jul 1943, his Henley L3399 struck a camouflaged hut when taxying - Reprimanded for "taxying without proper care"

- 16 Mar 1944, he stalled his Barracuda on approach, the port wing dropped and the port undercarriage leg collapsed

 "An excellent officer and a sound type of pilot who generally has made such good progress as to warrant every confidence in him making a first rate ferry pilot"

"He is not happy in fast aircraft in bad weather and is not ashamed to admit it"

 m. 1958 in Kensington, London, Mrs Gwenda Amy Allbrook [nee Oakden] (d. 2000)

Address in 1973: 4 Angel Court, Compton, Surrey; 

d. 15 Jun 1974 - Compton, Surrey

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.496	First Officer	Homer Edward Anderson
	b. 30 Jan 1918, Terre Haute, IN	13 Mar 1941 to 16 Mar 1942  [368 days]

Ed. Indian State High School, Terre Haute; W.C. Bryant Grammar School, University of New Mexico

Next of kin: (Mother) Mrs F R Jones, 3405 Wabash-Terre Haute, IN

prev. a trainee for Sears Roebuck & Co, Chicago IL.

Address in 1941: 922 Gordon Terrace, Chicago IL

Sailed back to the US on the SS Vibran on 20 Mar 1942 with fellow American ferry pilots James Bruce Warren, Jack Edison Jenkins, Emmett Chaffin (M.568), Robert Leonard Hamilton, John Cleveland Davis (M.416), James Emor O'Halloran, John R Scribbens, Paul Bleecker Makepeace, Raymond Sylvester Allen, George H Robertson, Frank C Hoffman, William Raymond Cooper (M.531)

Later flew 'The Hump' with CNAC - See CNAC Captain Homer E. Anderson, Jr.

Joined Consolidated Airways Inc. (Convair's own transport service, which used B-24s to carry personnel and cargo, and delivered aircraft, to the Pacific Theatre), and moved to San Diego then Santa Cruz, CA.

m. Marilyn [Richardson] of Jacksonville, FL. Their son Homer Edward Anderson III was born in Santa Cruz, CA on 6 May 1944.

d. Sep 1973, Seattle WA

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

prev. A motor trader and motorcycle racer; he and his brother James founded Anderton Bros. Motor Cycles Ltd. in Bolton, Lancashire in 1935.

Served for 6 months in the Civil Air Guard, as a Unit Leader.

Address in 1941: 18 Lever Edge Lane, Great Lever, Bolton

Postings: 3FPP, 14FPP

In September 1944 his CO, Stan Ogden, wrote "Has been a member of this Pool since Dec 1942. He has proved a willing worker. He uses his head as a pilot and does not attempt to fly in weather beyond his capacity. His discipline has been a good example to more junior members of this Pool."

 1949

from http://triumphtiger100.blogspot.pt/

Wikipedia: "In 1949 he competed in his first Isle of Man TT event with brother James in the pits. He also competed in the Ulster Grand Prix 1949 to 1951."

Owned G-AMZI, a 1953 Auster J-5F Aiglet Trainer.

d. Dec 1983  - Bolton

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

ATA

Address in 1940: 2 Anding Ave, Merrick, Long Island New York

Joined the engineering staff of the Berliner-Joyce Aircraft Corp, Baltimore, in 1929

Operated the E.B. Anding Flying Service in Haiti; had also done crop dusting

prev. exp. 4,980 hrs

"A sound and intelligent pilot."

Seconded ("Loaned") to Atlantic Ferry Organisation (Atfero), 20 Mar 1941

left, with Al Torrey (?Eaglerock) of Atfero

d. 14 Aug 1941 - one of four ATA pilots, travelling as passengers, amongst the 22 killed in the crash of Liberator AM260 when taking off from Ayr.

The others were Philip Lee (M.228), Buster Trimble and Martin Wetzel.

The cause of the crash was that "the pilot in command [Cpt Richard Charles Stafford of BOAC] started the take off procedure from runway 06 which was not suitable for the takeoff as it was too short for such aircraft."

In October, his wife Jessie wrote bitterly to the ATA:

"Dear Sir,

I have in my possession a check for $1,005 as full settlement of my late husband's salary. I feel there has been a mistake in the amount, which I sincerely hope was not intended by the ATA.

Although it is to no avail to blame anyone for the accident I cannot help feeling that to a certain extent it was nothing more than 'manslaughter'. Capt. Stafford on two occasions at St Hubert airport in Montreal almost let his ships get away from him. Both occasions Capt. Anding was in the ships and I have heard my husband and other pilots discuss the fact that Capt. Stafford was not capable of flying the ships assigned to him. Of course "mere Americans" to even dare assume that an Englishman couldn't out-fly them would be something short of "treason".

and his brother-in-law added: "... in conversation with [Elbert] I learned there were only two things he was afraid of, Fire and Capt. Stafford - he met both."

Jessie had suffered financial hardship as a result of her husband's death (he had no insurance), but refused to cash the cheque for some months in protest at what she regarded as the shabby treatment handed out to her and the other families.

Eventually, on 16 July 1942, an ex-gratia payment of $4,000 was agreed for Jessie, with a further $4,000 in War Bonds in the name of their 9 year-old daughter Mary Anne.

Jessie wrote back to say she was "... greatly pleased. Might I add that any sarcasm I have shown in past correspondence has not been towards any one individual but to all those who from lack of foresight failed to realize the value and ability of other mankind."

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

Educated at King's College School, Wimbledon

prev. RAF 1925-29: Short Service Commission as Probationary P/O & to CFS Upavon, 26 Sep 1925; Confirmed as  P/O, 26 Mar 1926. 19 Sqn, 30 Sep 26; F/O, 12 Apr 27; 23 Sqn, 12 Mar 28; 41 Sqn, 18 Aug 28.

On the 3 Apr 1929, he was fined £15 for being drunk at the wheel of a motor vehicle & £5 for driving in a dangerous manner at West Side, Wimbledon Common. When told that he would be arrested, he replied "I have been on the loose. I have had 15, or maybe 17, whiskies with a friend".

Possibly as a consequence, he resigned his Short Service Commission on the 31 May 1929.]

[details thanks to Steve Brew]

Then to National Flying Services Ltd, Hanworth Pk, in Oct 29.

Pilot for Air Commerce Ltd, Sudan, 1937

Address in 1940: The Croft, Sandown, I.O.W.

Postings: 3FPP, 4aFPP, 8FPP

"A capable pilot on heavy aircraft, does not like flying single engined aircraft... nice personality but apt to be forgetful."

Resigned from the ATA in Apr-43

d. Mar 1977 - Isle of Wight

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.942 *	2nd Officer	Alexander Norman Angus
	b. 11 Jan 1911, Welling, Kent	12 Jul 1943 to 31 Aug 1945

father: Arthur James Angus, mother Lilian Clara [McNally]

prev. a cycle mechanic

Address in 1939: 'Hillcrest', 15 Orchard Terrace, Upper Wickham Lane. Welling, Kent

A Commercial pilot - in June 1940 he made a 'perfect' forced landing on the riverbank of the Los Angeles River.

Address in 1940: c/o his father Lee H Annibal, 2482 Tyler Ave, Detroit, MI

Sailed to Liverpool to join the ATA, arriving 11 Nov 1940, with fellow American pilots Howard Alsop, Charles Smith, Francis Bender, Robert Gragg, Dan Jacques, Malcolm Stewart and Roy Wimmer.

Postings: 2FPP, 14FPP

m. Apr 1942 in Bristol, Glos, Patricia M [Harris], 1 child

"An excellent pilot. Discipline above reproach."

d. 23 Feb 1943 when a member of RAF Ferry Command, in Mitchell FR148 lost out of Gander

Commemorated at Runnymede

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.511	First Officer	James Whitaker 'Whit' Ansley
	b.4 Jul 1908, Marshallville, GA	17 Mar 1941 to 22 May 1943  [796 days]

Father: Joseph, a Baptist Minister

Ed. Fort Myers High School

m. 1940 Mary Louise [Foxworthy d. 2008], 1 daughter (Margaret Louise [Loy] d. 2015)

prev. Circulation Manager, News-Press Fort Myers 1925-41

Address in 1941: Apt 6-2010 Jackson St, Fort Myers, FL

Postings: 2 FPP, 14FPP, 3FPP, 1FPP

"A very good and careful pilot. Navigation very good; keen but inclined to be a little nervous of our weather. Conduct very good."

He told the Fort Myers News Press: "Can't say how I came over from England except that I didn't swim or use a rowboat... After this job is over, maybe I can tell a few stories. That's one reason I came back to the States for a visit. I was hungry for a few good American jokes. The English are a good lot but not too long on humor."

"Sure we have plenty to eat in England. The English people are long on morale. You can believe all you have read about the big raids on Germany. England has plenty of planes and with the help of the American Air Force there is no limit to the damage that can be inflicted on Germany from the air. The big show is terrific and no country can stand up under bombing of thousands of planes at one time. We ferry pilots don't do that kind of flying but we do handle plenty of ships that have been over the Channel."

"Whit grinned and denied that he came across the Atlantic with Churchilll. He did admit to having seen Churchill on a couple of occasions. 'That guy gets around', said Ansley."

In 1944, he was one of the pilots sent to look for Austin Drumm (see above), who had bailed out of a B-24 near Georgetown, British Guiana and spent about 2 weeks in 'the roughest jungles in South America'. They had travelled to the UK together in 1941.

d. 3 Nov 1971, Tampa: "Mr. Ansley had lived in Tampa for the past 17 years and was associated with the Coates Oil Equipment Co. Prior to World War Two he served as a ferry pilot with the ATA in England and served as a pilot with the US Navy during World War Two and the Korean War as a Lt. Commander."

"After the war he returned to Fort Myers and for a time was manager of Page Field after the government turned it over to the county... About 3 years ago he retired as sales manager of the Coates Oil Equipment Co. of Tampa when he was seriously injured in an automobile accident. Since the accident he had been an invalid and entered Bay Pines last Saturday when stricken with pneumonia."

buried Myrtle Hill Memorial Gardens, Tampa.

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.47	2nd Officer	Irene Arckless
	b. 28 Dec 1915, Uppingham	1 Aug-41 to Jan-43

RAeC 1937

MUWW

Prev. Exp: 53 hrs solo

Irene was one of those ordinary working-class girls who, by sheer enthusiasm and determination, and with the help of the subsidised Civil Air Guard Scheme, learnt to fly in the years before WWII. She managed to amass over 50 hours solo between 1937 and 1939. Amy Mollison (Amy Johnson as was, and she were only the daughter of a fish merchant in Hull) once snootily dismissed someone as "the typical CAG Lyons-waitress type".

You've probably met someone like Irene; bubbly, a bit cheeky, innocent, irreverent - 'high spirited', if you like that sort of thing, a complete pain if you don't - and probably exactly the sort of person who would get right up Captain The Hon. Margie 'Mrs Cold Front' Fairweather's nose. Which she indeed did - and of that, more later.

Anyway, in her first letter, dated 11 Mar 1941, having heard Lord Londonderry's appeal on the wireless the night before, she applied: "I wish to put forward the following for your approval, and I will be most grateful to hear from you if you think that my services could be of use in connection with the ATA... I was studying for my 2nd class navigators certificate and intending to take a 'B' licence but the war stopped all that I'm afraid.

I am 25 years of age, height about 5ft 4. I would very much like to get into the ATA, particularly as my fiancé is a prisoner of war in Germany (Flt Lt lockyer) and as he is no longer able to fly his beloved spitfires, if I can carry on his good work I would love to do so. I am swotting up all the information I can get hold of with regard to v.p. airscrews, superchargers and boost pressure, as we did not have any of those on our poor old gypsy moths, hornet moths etc!"

She closed by "Hoping I can do my bit for our dear old country."

 They invited her for a flight test, and on the 31st March she wrote:

"Dear Mr Wood
First of all I better give you an explanation of this letter! A few days ago I wrote to W/Cdr G. Tuttle asking if he could tell me anything about the prospects of the A.T.A. I had already submitted my application to them, and have since had a letter asking me to go to Hatfield for a flight test. I have arranged to attend at Hatfield on Tuesday, April 8th at 10-00.
I have had a letter from Geoffrey today, and he gave me your name and address, and told me to write to you, so I trust you will forgive the liberty I am taking.
What I want to know at the moment, and before I go to Hatfield next Monday - I am travelling down to London on the 7th instant, is - I might as well come straight to the point! - do you know what kind of machines they are using at Hatfield for the flight tests? I would be most grateful if you could drop me a note and let me know what to expect to handle - 'cause I want to be as well prepared as possible. I have handled Gipsy II, Hornet Moths, Fox Moth, and several of the ultra light types, such as Pragas, Taylor Cubs etc. I am hoping I don't have to do the test on a completely strange machine - if they have Tiger Moths there I shall be quite happy, as they are very similar to Gipsys as you know. If it will be in order for you to inform me what I will be most likely take the test on, I shall be most grateful to you."

He sent a telegram back which (even before the days of auto-correctign smartphones) managed to read "Tiger Mothers for initial test".

She was well into her stride now. Here she is, writing to ATA Adjutant Kitty Farrer on the 9 Apr 1941:
"Dear Madam,
First of all I would like to say how pleased I am that I was successful in passing my flight test yesterday, and that I am looking forward very much to coming down to take up duty. I already feel I shall be very happy with you all, as everyone was very nice to me yesterday. I do sincerely hope it will not be long before you send for me - you know I am honestly very anxious to get down to what I term 'a real job of work'.
There was one thing I forgot to ask you yesterday, a rather important one as well! The question of salary!!
I know the rates as published in 'Flight' but whether these apply to male and female, or only the former, I do not know, will you be kind enough to tell me exactly what the scale is?
From what you said yesterday, I gather I shall be at Hatfied 'under training' for about a month, & during this time I take it flying pay will not be applicable. I should like to know just how I shall be fixed as regards salary, so that I can make necessary arrangements here before I leave, i.e. (so that if necessary I will have sufficient cash to last me until I draw my first pay).
I am asking you this because I have recently transferred my Bank balance to War Bonds, & naturally do not want to have to 'cash in' on these if not necessary. I think you will quite understand my asking - I hope so anyway.Further, if there are any special subjects I can 'swot' meantime, will you send me a list? I am swotting up Met: Navigation, etc, and also my morse - I don't know whether the ATA ever have need to use the latter, but it may be useful at some time or other.

Believe me Mrs Farrer, this job of work I am going to do, & I shall do my utmost to do it well, means an awful lot to me, I told you my fiancé F/Lt Lockyer is a prisoner of War, & to me now, every 'plane we can deliver to the Great Lads of the RAF, means one day nearer to the time he will be home, & everyone carefree & happy again. You don't know Tommy, but he is a grand fellow, & a damn good pilot, he has over 3,000 to his credit! My record is a mere detail beside that isn't it?
To me, however, his 3,000 hours means an awful lot, & whenever I fly, I always try my best to do it well, I've his good reputation to uphold you see. You'll probably think that a very sentimental reason, on the other hand, maybe you'll understand what I mean.
By the way, I think I could get off with a fortnight's notice, so if perchance if I could start with you in May, will you let me know. Here's hoping I can start then.

Forgive me for taking up so much of your time with this letter please, I started it with the intention of being very business like! but I'm afraid it's got to be a personal letter in the end - hasn't it?

Hoping to be with you all very soon.

Irene"

She wrote back to Mr Wood to say thank you, and that "I passed the flight test successfully - in fact, I did very well indeed, so I was told by the Adjutant afterwards - she said "Your test was excellent". So you may guess I felt quite proud of myself!
Actually I surprised myself I must admit, because after being 'off' flying since the outbreak of war, I thought maybe I'd have forgotten a few things - however I hadn't, thank goodness! because this job means rather a lot to me as I told you."

Nothing happened...

20th April 1941, to Kitty:

"Dear Mrs Farrer,
Many thanks for your letter of the 14th instant. You know you make me feel very much at 'home' the way you write, and I know that I will be very happy with you all when I come to join you.
I think I told you I am at an E.F.T.S. at the moment, and British Air Transport, who are running the School, have a scheme for training boys to become engine experts! (we hope!) so after office hours, I am an apprentice! I am trying to put together all the numerous parts which go to make up an aircraft engine!!
I suppose I will be reaching the 'watchmaker' stage before too long - you know - one piece over! Where the heck does this go?!! I have learned quite a lot about 'twin' types, and already, in theory! I think I could fly 'em!! That remains to be seen, but I hope one day soon I shall be flying twin, or even more than twin types.
Optimistic aren't I! Strange to say though, right from childhood I've always felt more at home 'upstairs' than on the ground.
Here's hoping you will soon require some more pilots Mrs Farrer, I'm an awful pest aren't I? but I'm just longing to get started you know."

Nothing continued to happen...

5th June to Kitty:

"Dear Mrs Farrer,
Yes, it's that Arckless pest again! I am going to ask you something point blank, and leave it to you to decide what happens!
As so far there seems no possibility of me coming down to join you in the immediate future on the flying staff, I wonder if in the meantime there is any chance of a Ground appointment, either as a typist or clerical staff.
If there is any opportunity of work of this nature in the meantime, I would be perfectly willing to come down, and then later, when a vacancy exists for a pilot, I could be transferred to that vacancy.
I feel sure that I could make myself quite useful if there are any openings in this direction, but of course, as you will understand, I naturally want to start on flying duties as soon as possible.
I am sure you will think I am an awful nuisance, but as you have been so kind, I hope you will forgive me troubling you again. To be perfectly honest Mrs Farrer, this is between you and I entirely -  I am sitting in the office here doing practically nothing all day and I don't like it!
You see, as Mr Brown, our Accountant, knows I am leaving to come to A.T.A. sometime, he has taken on someone else who is taking over my job, and the point is, that I am left without anything to do, except to watch that my job is done correctly by someone else!
Well, there you are, thats the position, and if you are able to help me, I shall be most grateful to you.
Thanking you in anticipation of your reply, Very Sincerely, Irene"

Nothing still continued to happen; eventually Irene took herself off to another job, so she must have been amazed to finally get the call to report on 1 August 1941.

She completed training (although she bumped into another aircraft when landing on the 11th August, due to 'bad airmanship'), went on to ferry work, and progressed through the ranks; she was promoted to Third Officer on 5 Feb 1942, then Second Officer on 1 Jul 1942.

On the 24 Feb 1942, ATA Senior Commander Pauline Gower invited Irene into her office to discuss a rather delicate matter. Irene was typically... forthright:

"Interview with 3rd Officer Irene Arckless
To Pauline Gower Dear Madam,
Further to interview of this morning, I would like to place the following statement on record as I feel it would be more satisfactory from my own personal view point. The matter being to me of a very serious nature, and effecting my good character, as such it has always been to date.

Reference the accusation made, and presumed to concern myself i.e. that at a certain aerodrome (unnamed) an unnamed duty pilot is reported to have said to me - when I requested the delivery chit to be signed - "I will, if you give me a kiss first".

I wish to emphatically deny these words, as never, on any occasion, has such a familiar attitude been adopted by any duty pilot wherever I have been.
Further, I would like to place on record that far from adopting a familiar attitude myself - I get my chits signed as soon as possible, and depart from the duty pilot's office.
Having served six months in H.M. Forces prior to joining A.T.A. I consider, that as an Officer and I trust, a lady, I know how to conduct myself both in and out of uniform.... "

Irene demanded a full and detailed enquiry, and went on,

"I would like to add that recently at a number of aerodromes visited, & by a number of people, I have been mistaken for another female member of the ATA, whether there proves to be any connection with the charge made & the above - will do doubt, after investigation, come to light.
I an Madam, Your Obedient Servant, Irene

Pauline (no doubt muttering under her breath 'For goodness' sake, calm down, woman'), replied:
"With reference to your letter to me of today's date, I would point out to you that you have not been charged with any offence. Certain matters have been brought to my attention and I took the course of discussing these with you in order to clear them up.
Under the circumstances I shall make a further investigation but in the meantime I am fully prepared to take your word concerning the particular instance mentioned in our conversation this morning."

... and that appears to have been the end of that.

The very next month (March 1942), however, a more serious matter came up, and she was grounded. Without boring you with all the tedious details of 'She said to me, so I said to her', etc, what happened was this:

On the 15th March, Irene ferried an aircraft from Catterick to Prestwick, via Carlisle. As she landed, who should be watching but Margie Fairweather, and she was not pleased by what she saw; "I noted the circuit and approach of the machine which ultimately turned out to be piloted by 3rd Officer Arckless. The final turn into the slight wind which was blowing, was done in a series of jerks, in the nature of flat turns, and the machine was then under-shooting by several hundred yards. The engine was now used to recover, and height was again gained. Thereafter the machine made a perfectly good landing on the grass. I was shocked to discover the pilot was 3rd Officer Arckless who is known to have some experience."

Margie confronted Irene, criticised her turns, the height at which she circuited the aerodrome, minutely cross-examined her on her knowledge of the valley, and queried Irene's explanation of a fuel leak for the large quantity of petrol taken on at Carlisle; (she asked for a 'Snag Report' and said "If it's found to be alright, it will be too bad for you", or words to that effect"); she also told Irene she clearly didn't know how to work an altimeter. Margie summed up her opinion of Irene in no uncertain terms: "Her whole bearing during our conversation convinced me, that her extreme confidence in herself as a pilot has no justification."

Irene, in turn, wrote, "Personally I feel that there is some personal prejudice existing in the whole of Captain Fairweather's attitude" and ended her report by stating, "my one ambition is to be an asset to A.T.A. and not a menace!"

As it happens, Irene came up with convincing arguments against all Margie's criticisms; nevertheless, she was sent back to School for a Check Flight, with the Chief Instructor, no less. I wonder if she could resist a slight smirk when the report came back:

19 Mar 1942
T/O I. Arckless
We have duly received your report dated 15 March regarding the above Officer, and thank you for writing.
Miss Arckless has had a flight check with the Chief Flying Instructor who has given us such a good report that we have no alternative but to return her to full flying duties.
Her explanations on your various points seem fairly satisfactory, but we shall, of course, keep this Officer under observation.

To be fair to Margie, she was just doing her job, and she was absolutely right to be concerned; the 15th of March 1942 was one of the worst days of ATA's existence, with 6 people dead in 4 separate crashes. Plus, Margie was a very experienced pilot and instructor; if she had concerns about the way Irene was flying, she was aprobably right. But in any case Margie and Irene's personalities and backgrounds were so different, they were perhaps bound to clash.

Pauline thought it best to transfer Irene anyway, with this note in her file:

"Miss Arckless suffers from over confidence and I am not at all satisfied with her ability as a Class I pilot. I should be grateful therefore if you would keep a careful check on her flying and general airmanship."

Irene's next mishap turned out entirely to her credit; on the 20 Aug 1942 she took off in a Mk I Hurricane, and the port undercarriage leg failed to retract. She wrote "I flew around for about 30 minutes trying to get port leg up, or starboard down, by the emergency methods... nothing happened, in any of these directions, the port leg remained down and starboard up.

After this I circuited the aerodrome, wiggled my wings, and made very amazing other actions. By amazing actions I mean: I trimmed aircraft to fly hands off as well as was possible under the circumstances, took both hands off and feet off everything and tried brute force to move the selector lever... during this period the aircraft certainly appeared to perform some remarkable antics!

I then did a further circuit and went in to land. Port wheel fortunately retracted and I made a normal crash landing."

She went back to School, but this time on a conversion course. Her final report was, again, positive:

"from A G Head, Temp. O.C. Training Pool
"a keen and safe pilot who has shown considerable initiative and resourcefulness. A likeable personality who is inclined to be rather high spirited but whose work is of a high standard. An extremely good navigator who will make a most useful ferry pilot.She had to cope with a difficult problem in a Hurricane with undercarriage selector trouble recently, and belly landed it with less damage than the Engineer Officer of the Station had ever seen before with similar circumstances. She was exonerated by the Accidents Committee, thus proving her School reports to carry considerable weight.All her work in Training Pool has been very satisfactory."

She had another accident, on 21 Dec 42; her Airspeed Oxford developed low oil pressure in its starboard engine and she had to force land. The incident was investigated and she was found 'not to blame'.

Sadly however, her next accident - less than 3 weeks later, in the same type of aircraft - was fatal. On the afternoon of Sunday 3 Jan 1943, her Oxford V3888 crashed onto a house on the outskirts of Cambridge when an engine cut during take-off. She was taken to Addenbrooks but pronounced dead.

I don't think Pauline Gower ever warmed to her, actually; rather than the usual fairly positive summary, she managed to damn Irene with faint praise: "her conduct and general character was satisfactory and she performed her duties conscienciously"

Buried Stanwix Cemetery, Carlisle. ATA pilot Ronald Porter (q.v.) is buried in the adjacent plot.

The Inscription reads:

"UNTIL THE DAY BREAK

Treasured Memories of 

IRENE ARCKLESS

Second Officer ATA Ferry Pilot who was accidentally killed

at Cambridge while on Service 3 Jan 1943 Aged 27 Years

Beloved Daughter of William and Fanny Arckless

Also William Arckless Dearly Loved Husband of Fanny

Who Died 18 Dec 1965, Aged 74 Years

Also Fanny, Beloved Wife of William

Who Died 11 April 1987, Aged 92 Years"

 The ATA Benevolent Fund went to visit her parents, to offer assistance, but reported back:

"Mr Arckless is an ordinary working man, being an organ-builder by trade and I understand that in recent years he has not been fully employed, hence the reason that I deemed it advisable to interview the deceased's parents on the question of the Fund.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Arckless have requested me to thank the Organisation and the Committee for the consideration shown to them, but they feel that, although their daughter contributed considerably to the home, they cannot under the circumstances avail themselves of any monetary allowance which the Committee may have sen fit to grant them as they feel there must be many more deserving cases, namely young widows left with small children."

Cairns Post, 15 Jan 1943; "Irene Arckless, daughter of a Carlisle organ-builder, was known as "the flying school-girl." She realised her school-girl ambition to emulate Amy Johnson. She made her first solo flight when she was 21. She was killed on the day after her 28th birthday [sic]. She had just returned to her station from four days leave. She was engaged to Flight-Lieutenant Thomas Lockyer, a prisoner of war in Germany.

Lockyer's father said last night "Tom and Irene had known each other since childhood. She took flying lessons as soon as she left school. When Tom joined the RAF, she was determined to get her 'wings as soon as he.”

She joined the RAF ferry service in October, 1941 [sic], after she heard that Lockyer was a prisoner. 'One of us must keep flying, she said'.”

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip files):

M.748	First Officer	Henry Michael Andrew Armstrong
	b.19 Feb 1906, Lacock, Wilts	10 Jun 1942 to 30 Nov 1945

1939

ATA

MAMM

Father: Henry William Armstrong, (d. 1934), Mother: Agatha Henrietta Sibilla [Henslow]

Ed. "privately in France"

prev. Motor Engineer; Electrical Engineer

RAeC Certificate 17637 dated 11 Apr 1939, taken at Exeter Aero Club

prev. exp. 30 hrs on Hornet and Tiger Moth

Address in 1939: Down St Mary, Bow, Devon

Address in 1941: 10a Whitchurch Rd, Bristol (later Manor Farm, Corston, Bristol)

Ab initio pilot

Postings: 4FPP, 6FPP, 2FPP

 Off sick from 15 Feb to 3 Mar 1943 with influenza

Reprimanded 3 Oct 1944 for loss of Ferry Pilots Notes

2 accidents, 1 his fault:

- 28 Dec 1943, the starboard undercarriage leg of his Spitfire collapsed, after a normal landing

- 9 Feb 1945, he was taxying "with insufficient care" in Tempest V NV780 and hit a vehicle, because he had not noticed that it had stopped

Severely Reprimanded for this taxying accident

m. 1943 in Wokingham, Berks, Olive Betty(e) May or Whittington also of the ATA (daughter Mary Anne b. 1944, son John William Andrew b. 1949)

 He and Bettye ran the Edgcumbe Hotel in Newquay, also from 1959 the Coniston Hotel in Newquay

d. 26 Aug 1984 - Newquay, Cornwall

Postscript:

Bettye m. 6 Sep 1986 in Truro, Thomas Nelson Gray

"Oh - Get On! is Bettye Gray's book, [2008] recalling 100 years of Cornwall's holiday scene and how one family (her own) helped to shape it"

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

Irish Free Press

ATAM

Father: Samuel Reid Armstrong (d. 1936), Mother: Charlotte Matilda [Sheircliffe]

Ed. Diocesan School, Dublin

prev. RAF Sgt Pilot 1919-31, but "it was not until the last four years of his service that he became a pilot."

"Isle of Man Airways pilot before the war and later Officer Commanding the Belfast Ferry Pool; one of the best-known characters in the ATA - and in many a corner of his native Ireland." - BG

"It was the glamour of the first Atlantic flight by Alcock and Brown in 1919 which overcome his father's objections to Paddy joining the Royal Air Force as a pilot. This portion of his career lasted to 1931, taking him to Egypt, Iraq, India, 6:lrmo and South Africa. In 1931 he obtained his commercial flying licence arid joined lona National Airways in his native Ireland.

Captain Armstrong's next venture was on air service of his own which performed the essential function for the Irish —of flying evening newspapers with the racing results from Dublin to Then came a spell with West Coast Air Services until he joined Aer Lingus in 1936, piloting that company's very first flight, five passengers from Dublin to Bristol in a de Havilland Dragon." - Birmingham Weekly Post

m. 1938 in Kensington, London, Vera Alice [Long]

Address in 1940: 31 Upper Bagot St., Dublin

 Postings: 3FPP, 1FPP, 6FPP, 8FPP (As CO), 4FPP, 3FPP

Suspended without pay for a month on 3 Aug 1941, for 'neglect of flying duty"

4 accidents, 2 his fault:

31 Jan 1940, an incident involving Hempden AD746

-  1 Jan 1941, Commended for incident involving Manchester L7292

- 21 Mar 1941, an incident in Wellington W2749 caused by the the aerodrome being in an unserviceable state

- 8 Mar 1941, the emergency parachute exit of his Stirling N6011 was accidentally opened by the Air Gunner after landing

- 19 Aug 1941, forced landing near Jurby, IoM, after the starboard engine failed in his Blenheim V5374. See the account by James O'Halloran (who, along with John Milne Greaves and Peter Twiss, was injured)

- 22 Jan 1944, whilst taxying 'without due care', the starboard propeller of his Wellington X HE755 struck a petrol bowser.

 "I am very pleased with the way in which Cmdr Armstrong has always run this remote and difficult Pool (8FPP, Belfast).  - MWS Boucher

   1957

" When he cut the cake at the Aer Lingus 21st birthday party at Elmdon last week it was said of Captain Oliver Eric Armstrong that few men have done more for aviation in Britain. He hos done it quietly and unostentatiously, but the facts prove the contention - 15,000 hours, or nearly two years of his life, spent in the air piloting more than 100 different types of aircraft, while his log book during and following the Second World War shows daily flights to destinaions all over Europe, with a journey to South Africa by way of variety.

"Paddy" Armstrong is now mainly chairborne, as commercial manager of Don Everall (Aviation) Ltd., but as the hum of aircraft penetrates his office at Elmdon Airport what memories it wings of life in the clouds.

After the war he was with various air services at Bristol before corning to Don Everall (Aviation) Ltd. in Birmingham for whom together with charter flights and services to the Isle of Wight, Jersey, Palma and Perpignan, Captain Armstrong has done as many as 40 short pleasure flips in a day. Now, from his desk, he remains in touch with the flights he once piloted and with such unexpected cargoes as pigs from Glasgow to Paris, and corpses from Birmingham to Ireland. Still aviation is Captain Armstrong's life for, asked about his other interests, he will reply, " If you fly, all your time is involved." " -  Birmingham Weekly Post

d. 26 Dec 1959 - Birmingham

"OBITUARY Capt. Oliver Eric Armstrong

Capt. Oliver Eric ("Paddy") Armstrong, one of the best-known aviators in the Midlands, died on Boxing Day in a Birmingham hospital. He was 58. 

As soon as he was out of uniform he joined lona National Airways in Ireland as a pilot, and then started an airline of his own. BAN: newspapers from Dublin to Galway. After a period with West Coast Air Services he joined Aer Lingua in 1939.

When the Second World War broke out, Captain Armstrong, being too old for the RA.F.. joined the Air Transport Auxiliary. " Paddy* and his men at Belfast ferried aircraft in all kinds of weather. He flew nearly 100 different types.

After the war he returned to civil aviation, flying for Morton Air Services and Cambrian Airways. He came to Birmingham to fly for Don Everall (Aviation), Ltd., and piloted charter flights and scheduled services to such places as the Isle of Wight, Jersey, Palma and Perpignan. He also took many Midlanders for "joy flights" round Elmdon Airport. Later he was appointed commercial manager of Don Everall at Elmdon, and left the airline early in 1968.

He leaves a daughter. Patricia. aged 11. The funeral will be at Yardley Cemetery on Thursday." - Birmingham Daily Post, 28 Dec 1959

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.334	First Officer	Kenneth Russell Arnette
	b. 31 Aug 1912, Rutherfordton VA	25 Jan 1941 to Jan-42

Married, no children

prev. Barnstorming; Arnette's Air Show (Stunting shows)

Address in 1941: Henderson, NC

Next of Kin: c/o Arnette's Ice Cream Co., Richmond, Virginia

Postings: 2FPP, 3FPP

"A sound and experienced pilot and in every way satisfactory."

Killed in action in the India-Burma Theatre 4 Feb 1945

buried Jefferson Barracks National Military Cemetery – St. Louis, Mo.

"Learned to fly at the Meyer Airport near Hendersonville, N.C. A graduate of Hendersonville High School where he was an outstanding athlete, he is survived by his mother and four brothers. James Arnette Jr served in the US Navy, Sgt Roy A Arnette with the AAF in France, W C Arnette with the Seabees in the Aleutians, and Milton Prince Arnette, who lives in Hendersonville."

His brother Roy owned Arnette's Ice Cream Co; he was killed when 3 armed men robbed the company in 1974, hit him on the head and shot him in the arm.

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.166	3rd Officer	Joan Henrietta Arthur
	b. 5 Aug 1919, Ealing	8 May-44 to Sep-45

Father: George Arthur, a Civil Servant; mother Margaret, a nurse

prev. an insurance clerk

Address in 1945: 51 Hillfield Rd, W Hampstead, London NW6

 [Ab initio pilot]

Gained her Royal Aero Club Pilot's Certificate (No 20488) as part of the ATA's 'Wings' scheme on 3 Aug 1945

m. 1948 in Hampstead, Eric G Barton

 d. 5 Mar 1993 - Hatch End, Middx

1935

prev. a horticulturalist

[Contract Terminated, but re-engaged 3 Feb 1941]

d. 1991, Bournemouth

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

IWM interview here: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80009669

M.340 *	2nd Officer	Lionel Hector Tracey 'Ash' Ashburner
	b. 17 Jun 1899, Seaford, Sussex	27 Mar 1941 to 30 Jun 1945

ATA

1971

1977 (both 'Flight')

father Rev. William Ashburner, [Rector of Dodington], mother Georgiana Alder [Rinder]

m. 1926 Gladys Violet [Sheriff]

prev a Planter in the West Indies

The Imperial War Museum has a 1971 audio tape of him: "REEL 1 Aspects of training as officer cadet with Royal Flying Corps, 1917: early interest in flying; period in army, 1917; basic training at Hastings; technical training at Denham. Period on flying training at RAF Eastchurch, 3/1918: reaction to former Royal Naval Air Service; first flight in Avro 504 K, 20/4/1918; opinion of instructors during dual flying training on DH6 and Avro 504 K; story of nearly throwing instructor out during loop; first solo in Sopwith Pup, 13/6/1918; influenza attack; first solo on Sopwith Camel, 28/7/1918; course as flying instructor at RAF Manston. Period as flying instructor at RAF Eastchurch, 1918: story of nearly flying out in loop; two-seater Sopwith Camel; method of recovering from spin. Demobilisation, 1919.

Period as sugar planter in British Guiana, 1920-1929. Passing air license during membership of Bristol and Wessex Flying Club, Filton and Whitchurch Airfields, Bristol area, 1929-1930. Period as rancher in British Guiana, 1930-1935. Period as member of B&WFC and Leicester Flying Club, 1935: aircraft flown; flights to various flying club airfields; Armistice celebrations, 11/11/1918-12/11/1918; development of commercial flying using flying boats in British Guiana; story of giving parents flights. Period prospecting for gold in British Guyana, 1935 -1938. Period flying with B&WFC, 1938-1939: failed attempt to rejoin RAF; question of communicating with control tower. Period as air traffic control officer at Croydon airport, London, 1938-1939: prior training course; question of competition between Imperial Airways and other airlines; types of passenger aircraft; use of Morse code to communicate with aircraft; use of map and pins to record aircraft position; method of landing aircraft by ear; flights of Air France aircraft in bad weather.

Period at Heston airport, London, 1939: review of services and aircraft; army cooperation exercises. Period as air traffic control officer at airfields at Perth, Aberdeen and Whitchurch, 1939-1943: initial rejection due to reserved occupation prior to acceptance on unpaid part-time basis as Class 1 aircraft ferry pilot with Air Transport Auxiliary, 4/1941; opinion of various aircraft flown. REEL 2 Continues: opinion of various aircraft flown; conversion course as Class II aircraft pilot; opinion of Spitfire; story of arrest by military police due to lack of uniform; near accident due to fatigue whilst flying Spitfire and consequent end of control tower duties, 9/1943. Period as fulltime ferry pilot with ATA, 1943-1945.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/

Postings: 2FPP

1977, "Flight"; "Lionel Ashburner from Sywell, Northampton was awarded the John Player Award for Achievement in General Aviation trophy and a £350 cheque for long service in Air Traffic Control. 'Ash' officially retired as an airways controller at Preston in 1963, but then became controller at Sywell, a post he held full-time into his seventies, becoming part-time only this year. He has long been known for an almost magic ability to talk 'temporarily uncertain' pilots into Sywell, aided only by his keen knowledge of Midlands geography."

d. 9 Feb 1986 - Bristol

See also http://www.sywellaerodrome.co.uk/

 prev. a Mining Engineer, then a Motor Engineer

Royal Navy from 1915-18  then Army Air Corps to 1919

Address in 1938: "Alclutha", St George's Rd, Sandwich, Kent

d. 7 Mar 1982, Exeter

 Educated at Harrow

Pre-WWII amateur aviator who had owned:

- a 1930 Comper CLA.7 Swift, G-AAZD; 

- a 1931 DH.60G Gipsy Moth, G-ABPT, and

- a 1933 Comper CLA.7 Swift, G-ACML

He also entered (the one and only) Comper Streak, G-ACNC, for the 1935 King's Cup Race, but withdrew before the start.

m. 1939 Ilona de Walyel

A Company Director (Minox Ltd)

Address in 1941: Old Mill Cottage, Wargrave, Berks

Postings: 1FPP

"An average pilot, with not too good a sense of discipline"

[* First Officer from 14 Aug-42 but demoted to 2nd Officer 2 weeks later for flying in bad weather, supposedly for a period of 3 months. However, his contract was terminated before this period ended.

The accident which caused him to be demoted was on the 15th August 1942, when he 'abandoned a Spitfire after running out of fuel through flying in bad weather'. The final straw was when, on the 16th November, he forgot to lower the undercarriage of a Hurricane when landing.]

In his defence, he did successfully force-land a Short Scion in September 1942 after engine failure; on the other hand, the Hurricane was the second aeroplane in which his cockpit drill had missed out this rather important item - he had also landed a Blenheim with its wheels up on the 30th August...

[Contract Terminated by ATA 'due to the number of at-fault accidents' (actually, the Hurricane was his 5th)]

Address in 1967: The Garth, Wellingore, Lincoln and Kafue National Game Park, Zambia"

d. Mar 1985 - Lincoln

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.667 *	First Officer	Ronald Wilfred Ayres
	b. 27 Jan 1919, Huntingdon	23 Sep 1941 to 31 Oct 1945

prev. an insurance company clerk

d. May 1998, Huntingdon

M.----	2nd Officer	Denis George Bach
	b. 22 Dec 1911, Birmingham	19 Aug 1941 to 23 Sep 1941

Prev. a Technical Engineer

Address in 1939: 16 Holly Rd, Handsworth, Birmingham

One accident:

- 20 Sep 1941, in a Magister; "Pilot got lost and then took off after forced landing, contrary to existing regulations. Wheels of aircraft struck the top of the small hedge and the machine hit the ground."

Contract Terminated 23 Sep 1941

 d. 4 Jan 1985 - Santa Barbara, CA

M.341	First Officer	Charles Lionel Griffiths Back
	b. 23 Dec 1913, S Africa	6 April 1941 to 10 Apr 1943

1933

ATAM

Educated at St Andrews, Grahamstown, SA

Arrived in the UK in 1928

prev. RAF (Pilot Offficer) 1935-37

Address in 1941: Newton House, Barn St, Marlborough, Wilts

Postings: 2FPP, 8FPP, 9FPP, 14FPP, 15FPP

He was described as 'a very capable and experienced pilot, and in every way satisfactory', but had a couple of problems during his ATA career, being placed on a weekly salary basis after writing cheques with insufficient funds to cover them in May-42, and suspended without pay for 3 days in Jan-43 for 'failing to surrender clothing coupons'.

 Kenneth and Patricia [Pruett], 7 Jun 1941

He then 'committed misconduct' in Luton with Patricia, the wife of Flt Lt. (later Wing Cmdr) Kenneth Mackenzie DFC, while the latter was away as a wartime guest of the Germans. The divorce judge said that it was "a most lamentable feature of the case that a man who was an officer in the RAF should commit misconduct with the wife of a brother officer who was a prisoner in German hands."

[Resigned]

Later a de Havilland test pilot

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.560	2nd Officer	Ramchandra Murlidhar Badhe
	b. 7 Aug 1905, Saugar C.P., British India	24 Jun 1941 to Jan-43

 Address in 1941: 19 Hartington Rd, East Feltham, Middx

Next of kin: (brother) Vishnu Badhe, Kelibag, Mahal, Nagpur, India

M.Sc., then an aircraft assembler fitter for Heston Aircraft Co, Hounslow. From whom he received this slightly awkward endorsement:

"I would say that Mr R M Badhe has been in our employ for about three years, and we have always found him to be a first-class reliable man from every point of view, and although it is always difficult to get under the skin of certain classes of Indians, I had no hesitation whatever in recommending him for a commission in the RAFVR, and in your case also I feel that he will give you excellent service... He has always conducted himself here in a very correct and respectful manner."

However, his instructor's report in October 1942 was less complimentary:

"A keen pilot whose assessment can only be judged by his ability to use his intelligence, which is below average. It was necessary to reprimand him for gross carelessness and lack of airmanship and he has been told that if on any future occasion his airmanship is proved to be lacking, his contract will most probably be terminated."

Actually, he did have a few accidents...

- Jul-42, he had a burst tyre on landing a Spitfire (not to blame).

- Sep-42, he landed an Oxford in the wrong direction and collided with another Oxford, severely damaging both (pilot to blame);

- Nov-42, he taxied of the perimiter track (to avoid some cyclists, he said) and nosed over in the soft ground (pilot to blame);

d. 20 Jan 1943 (Died in ATA Service) - Henley L3408 crashed in trees on Ulpha Farm nr Meathop, Westmorland, while attempting forced landing due to engine failure (suspected to be due to water in the petrol system).

Cremated at Golders Green Crematorium on 26 Jan 1942:

"He was billeted with us... he made many friends amongst my gentlemen, he was a gentleman in every possible way and we shall greatly miss him"

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

 photo: 1927, aged 37

Born in London but brought up mainly in County Monaghan, Ireland.

Her family's home was Rossmore Castle, which was a grand affair built in the 1820s, with turrets, a vast drawing room and servants' quarters, not to mention about 20 cottages on the estate:

 www.monaghan.ie/museum

Here she is, with her brother Willie, and parents (Mittie and Derry) on a set of steps by the house, in 1913:

 Throttle Full Open

I visited County Monaghan in 2014 and asked in the local museum if they knew where the house was. 'Oh yes' they said, 'but it was demolished forty years ago'. It seems that it became severely infested with dry rot in the 1940s, was abandoned and, indeed, demolished in 1975.

Anyway, here's all that's left of it now:

Mary married South African mining magnate and white suprematist politician Sir Abe Bailey in September 1911 (so, she was 21, he was nearly 47; his first wife had died in 1902 and he already had two children). They then had five more children - 2 boys and 3 girls.

She learnt to fly at the London Aeroplane Club in 1926. She was the first woman to fly across the Irish Sea 'by the long route' from Chester to Dublin, the following August.

The following March (1928) she began a solo tour to Cape Town, via Malta and then Cairo. Here, her plane was locked away by order of the Governor-General of the Sudan to prevent her from continuing alone, so she contacted Dick Bentley (who had flown to the Cape a few weeks before) to escort her in his own aeroplane over the "dangerous area of the southern Sudan". She then crashed in Tanganyika, writing off her aeroplane (she said it was her fault), but Abe made arrangements for a replacement Moth to be delivered from Pretoria and she continued, despite having 'flu. Abe was there to meet her when she arrived at the end of April. 

The return journey was made via the western 'French' route - the Belgian Congo, Angola and the French Congo. She finally arrived back at Croydon on 16 January, 1929, 10 months after she left. It was "undoubtedly one of the finest performances ever put up by a woman pilot." 

Lady Bailey was "so modest, so vague and so charming", and was "surprised that anyone should make a fuss about her journey". 

A Director of National Flying Services in 1929, (with Frederick Guest, Colonel the Master of Sempill, Alan Cobham, etc); she was also awarded the Brittania Trophy by the Royal Aero Club, and then made a Dame of the British Empire in 1930 for "services to aviation".

 At the Chateau d'Ardennes in 1930

She was a guest at Amelia Earhart's reception at the RAeC in May 1932 - photo here.

In early 1933 she gave everyone a scare by disappearing for several days on another solo flight to Cape Town; thankfully, she had only got lost, run low on fuel and landed safely in the Sahara. [Bert Hinkler, who disappeared at about the same time, was killed in the Alps]. She then flew back to England and almost immediately went down with a bout of typhoid, but recovered in time to compete in the King's Cup later in the year.

After that, she concentrated on looking after their horses, giving and attending loads more balls and receptions, and marrying off their many children.

When Abe died in 1940, she settled near Cape Town (still keeping a house in Rutland) and died there 29th August 1960 aged 69.

King's Cup in 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933

Lady Mary's aeroplanes were:

a 1926 DH.60 Moth (G-EBPU),

a 1927 DH.60X Moth (G-EBSF, the one she crashed in Tanganyika),

the replacement DH.60X Moth (G-EBTG, which Abe bought in Nairobi);

a 1928 DH.60G Gipsy Moth (G-AABN);

a 1929 DH.60G Gipsy Moth (G-AAEE) and

a 1930 DH.80A Puss Moth, G-AAYA. 

W.146	3rd Officer	Rita Pauline Baines
	b. 13 Nov 1921, Stoke-on-Trent	28 Dec-43 to 30 Sep-45

Ed. Felixstowe College

prev: Rootes Securities Ltd, (a 'shadow' aircraft factory at Blythe Bridge, near Stoke-on-Trent); MAP from Nov 1942

Ab initio pilot cadet

Postings: 15FPP

Later 'Star Girl No. 2', air hostess for British South American Airlines: (see also Mary Guthrie , who was 'Star Girl No. 1)

m. 1946 Captain David Colby, an ex-Pathfinder Squadron Leader

 The Tatler

"SEQUEL TO AIR ROMANCE

There was a sequel to an air romance at Trentham Parish Church on Saturday when a former transocean passenger air-liner hostess was married to a pilot in the employ of the British and South American Airways. The bride was Miss Rita P. Baines, the 25-years-old daughter of Mr. C J. Baines, head of Messrs C. J. Baines and Co. Ltd . colour manufacturers, of Stoke, and of Mrs, Baines. The Woodlands. Trentham. and the bridegroom. Mr. David Colby, the 26-years-old son of Mrs Colby. Oulton Broads. Norfolk, a former R.A F. squadron-leader and the holder oi the D.F.C.

The couple met last January when Miss Baines travelled as air-hostess and made a call at the Gambia (British West Africa) station of the airways company. of which Mr. Colby was station manager." Staffordshire Advertiser - Saturday 30 November 1946

[David d. 30 January 1948 (age 27) in the crash of British and South American Airlines' Avro Tudor IV G-AHNP 'Star Tiger', lost on a flight between the Azores and Bermuda. 6 crew and 25 passengers died.]

m. 1949 Christopher Johnson, MD of Johnson Bros Ceramics

"The marriage took place at the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great. West Smithfield. London, on Monday, of Mr. Christopher Johnson. younger son of Mr and Mrs Frank Johnson. Kniveden Hall. Leek, and Mrs Rita Colby, daughter of and Mrs. C. J Baines. Woodlands. Trentham. and widow of Squadron-Leader David Colby. D.F.C. After the reception at the Dorchester Hotel. Mr and Mrs. Johnson left for their honeymoon, which is being spent in Italy." Staffordshire Advertiser - Saturday 20 August 1949

d. 2007 - Newcastle Staffs

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.---	2nd Officer	John Robert Baker
	b. 26 Jun 1915, London	26 Sep 1941 to Nov-41

1938

ATA

prev. an electrician for the Borough of Stepney from 1932

prev. exp 25 hrs solo

L/AC in RAF 22 May - 4 Oct 1940. His 'reference' from them to the ATA says "After being reported extremely backward this ex-pupil was tested on 29th Aug 1940 after 5 hours dual on Oxfords, when it was found that he was definitely below average and completely lacking in air sense. His reactions were extremely slow, flying rough, cockpit drill hazy and judgement bad. He was therefore withdrawn from flying training. It is considered that this ex-pupil is entirely unsuited for the work of a Ferry Pilot".

Even his ATA flying test reported him as "keen, but painfully slow at times" and "very lacking in common sense".

Nevertheless, he was taken on as a Cadet.

 ... And died a few weeks later, in a flying accident.

d. 20 Nov 1941 (Died in ATA Service) - Miles Hawk Major DP848 (ex G-AENS) on training cross-country flight ran out of fuel and hit hill nr Priddy Wells Somerset in bad visibility.

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

ATAM

ATAM

Father: Harry Earl Ballard, mother Caroline S [Evans]

Ed. Highland Grammar School, Holyoke; Augusta Military Academy, Long Island, NY

prev. 1933-34 US Army 62nd Coast Artillery, Private First Class;

Operator, Valley Air Sales, Springfield, Mass.; Paper Maker. Purchasing Agent

prev. exp. 470 hrs

Address in 1941: Leahey Ave, South Hadley Center, Mass.

 Postings: 6FPP, 7FPP

Reprimanded in Aug-42 for 'flying at low altitude', and suspended for 1 week in Feb-43 for 'taking off in Spitfire with hood open'

2 accidents, one his fault:

- 12 Apr 1942, his Spitfire nosed over after taxying into an unmarked soft patch, and

- 9 Feb 1944, when his Anson developed an engine problem and he did a precautionary landing, but then took off again even though there was a 200rpm mag. drop. Again, the engine misbehaved, so he had to do another forced landing. "It is considered that the pilot made an error of judgement in deciding to take off in the circumstances."

"A capable and hard working pilot who makes a good officer if he watches his tongue" "His flying is good and his keenness to take on any work at any time cannot be considered anything but first rate"

"He talks too much and too loudly and appears to have a profoundly irritant effect on many of his colleagues. He is, however, good natured and quick-witted."

He sailed back to the US on the 11 Jun 1942 with fellow US pilots Marshall Milton, William Byrd Lee Milton, Eddie Grundstrom, Alexander Wilson, Manley Fairbrother, and Harry Kindberg.

m. 1942 Ethel (Ruth) Lambton, also of the ATA and Edwin then spent September 1943 to January 1943 in the USA.

In September 1944 Edwin, Ruth and her son Peter Lambton, age 9, sailed to the USA.

In January, Ruth and Edwin were hauled before a disciplinary court for 'drinking during an unauthorised period in spite of a warning by a senior officer' and 'insubordination'.

The Court was inclined Not to overlook the offences. "After considering the evidence, and after hearing verbal evidence given by Commander Whitehurst and Captain Rome the Court reached the conclusion that the charges were fully substantiated, and after reviewing the record of both these officers, who as pilots have undoubtedly done a good job, the Court nevertheless came to the conclusion that their disciplinary record throughout, as disclosed by the History Cards, has left a great deal to be desired, despite repeated warnings, and that this incident is so bad as to warrant their instant dismissal".

Ruth and Edwin were duly dismissed on the 23rd January 1945. 

They sailed to the USA on the 21 Feb (to Edwin's home town of Hadley, MA), had 2 more children and then moved to Nassau, Bahamas in 1950 where Eddie took a job as a pilot for Bahama Airlines.

Ann Wood-Kelly, Lettice Curtis, Ruth Ballard and Winnie Fair, in the Bahamas in 1957 (ELC)

d. 31 Mar 1978 - Nassau

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

BG

Father: Arthur Leopold Bambridge (d. 1923), Mother: Anna Charlotte Caroline [Siebert]

Ed. Marlborough

Royal Field Artillery (6th [Duke of Edinburgh's] Wilts Regiment, Commissioned 12 Apr 1915, in France from 28 Oct 1915), RNAS (Flight Sub-Lieut from 17 Sep 1917, 2nd Lieut), RAF from 1 Apr 1918 (Lieut)

As a Flight Sub-Lieut. in the RNAS, he was seriously wounded in March 1918. This accident, according to research done by his grand-daughter, was "whilst serving as reconnaissance scout in RNAS 2nd Squadron based at Bergues. On 22 March 1918 he and his gunner were hit by anti aircraft fire over Ostende. Bam and gunner Harry Lovelock managed to crawl out onto the wings of the DH4 biplane and witnesses described seeing plane initially diving then fluttering down like a leaf then diving again. Tragically Harry lost his grip and fell at about 1,000 feet from the ground. Bam hung on the tail until a few feet above the ground when he threw himself clear. The plane on crashing rolled over on top of him breaking his legs in several places. The true account was hushed up for the sake of gunner Harry's parents feelings."

In March 1919 he relinquished his commission on account of "ill-health (caused by wounds)" but was permitted to retain his rank. 

In July 1919, Flight said (presumably referring to an earlier accident): "Lieut. Bambridge, who had the distinction of losing the tail of his machine at 15,000 ft. in France, and descending on the top plane more or less successfully, was in charge of the ground operations" for an air display in Liverpool.

m. Jul 1926 in Steyning, Sussex Vera Maud [Fullick]

 Vera

His patent No 338,495 for 'Improvements in or connected with Braking Means for Aeroplanes and the like purposes" was published in December 1930:

"The braking force is applied directly to the landing wheels and undercariage.... My invention admits of several modes of application and according to one embodiment a bracket or like device having slots in angular or other suitable relation is employed in co-operative relation with and at each end of the axle of the landing wheels."

Address in 1940: Waimate, Gordon Rd, Whitstable

Postings: 6FPP, 1FPP, 4bFPP

Suspended in Jan 1941 for nine days for 'Accumulative Misdemeanours'

Suspended for 7 days in May 1941 for 'disregard of flying regulations at 33 MU Lyneham'

1 accident, not his fault:

- 18 Jun 1941, the wheels of his Anson got clogged in long grass, 'which prevented the pilot obtaining sufficient height to clear an obstruction'.

"This officer though limited in his flying activities for medical reasons has more than made up for it by his energy and organising ability in the Operations Room where he has proved himself a very great asset."

Transferred to ground duties 31 Mar 1943.

"Is a very conscientious officer. Unfortunately he is not good at handling his staff, and does not achieve a good team spirit."

Or, "A first class organizer and highly efficient Chief Flying Control Officer."

In September 1945 as the ATA was being disbanded, the Air Movements Flight held a 'Farewell Dinner'. The menu, and a 'poem' in the form of an ABC, have survived:

People mentioned: 

Aubrey Bower [M.758]

Bill [Guy] Harben [M.18]

Bragg

Bam

Toni Combi [M.588]

Diana Hutchinson [W.107]

Delia

Fordie

Ian Forbes

Fitzy

Ireen Garge

Groupie Hill

Georgei Hayman

Harry Hamilton

Jack Hollande

Harry Harrison

Johnny Jordan

Joesph Smallbone

Johnny Scarborough

Joan

Les Kemp

H. C. Mason

Mary

Mac

Peter

Stan Pigott

Tom Preston

Paddy

Eulalia Rodd

Seaward

Spratt

Becky Sharp

Len Thornhill

Wendy

Stan

 ---

d. Dec 1966 - Elstree, Herts

His grand-daughter Fiona kindly tells me that "Bam's mother, Caroline Charlotte Anna Siebert-Charters, was a German aristocrat. His father, Arthur Leopold Bambridge, was an artist who exhibited several times at the Royal Academy and was a Member.

Bam's parents divorced when he and his elder sister Emily were small, in 1904. It was his mother who filed for divorce; she took Emily to Germany with her, leaving Bam with his father in England, apparently so that he did not get naturalised to being German.

Bam went to primary school locally in Wiltshire, then later went to stay with his uncle William, who was a Professor of Music and organist for Marlborough College. Bam spent 2 years at Marlborough, although not very successful academically I was informed by their archivist.

He joined the RFA in 1915, then RNAS. He was shot down twice in France, once whilst his passenger took aerial photos; the passenger was sadly killed, Bam was injured and thereafter always walked with a limp.

Bam met Vera when he retrieved her Alsatian dog after it had run off in fields near Shoreham airport. When he inherited his mother's money, he and Vera lived the high life - skiing in Switzerland, Cannes for the casinos (Bam loved gambling), and were friends with the Benetti brothers (racing cars). 'Bam' worked as a stunt pilot, carpenter, admin for BOAC in a London office, and also sold sun lamps. 

Bam and Vera had four children, Angela, Anthony, Brian and John. John became a pilot in the RAF and also flew privately. My aunt, Angela, is the last one still with us

The ATA ladies, Joy Lofthouse and Mary Ellis both told me in 2011 that Bam was a gentleman. He was often to be seen standing at the end of the runway at White Waltham, looking up into the sky." 

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.119	3rd Officer	Mrs Eirene Rosemary Banister
	b. 20 Jul 1919, Budleigh Salterton, Devon	12 Jul 1943 to 30 Sep 1945

RAeC 1939

1940 (The Bystander)

 née Whittow

Father Richard Whittow (a Merchant and farmer), mother Eirene Frances Stewart [Tweedie] (m. 1910 in Colombo, Ceylon)

Address in 1939: Muryn, Brockenhurst, Hants

Sailed to the UK from Port Said with her parents in December 1938, then to the USA in June 1939

Civil Air Guard in 1939

prev. exp. 3 hrs on Gypsy Moth

m. 31 Mar 1940 in Brockenhurst, Lt. Peter Charles McConnel Banister RN,  DSC (d. 19 Jul 1941 in HM submarine 'Umpire' which collided with a trawler off the Norfolk coast on its maiden voyage) (1 child, Carol b. 1941)

 Postings:  5TFPP, 12FPP (Sec), 15FPP

 Class III pilot

 m. Sep 1947 in Hants, Hugh Digorie Seccombe (2 children: Celia b. 1948, Geoffrey b. 1949)

Moved to Guildford, Surrey and died there 1 Jun 2011

 IWM interview (from 1989) here: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80009672

M.506	First Officer	Albert Barker
	b. 16 Apr 1908, Shipley	6 Jun 1941 to 31 Oct 1945

1935

ATA

Educated at Shipley Central School

m. 1934 May [Jackson]; 1 child

prev. Company Director, Valley Road Motors (Shipley) Ltd;

RAF Jul-40 to Apr-41, AC/2 Cadet

Address in 1941: 6 Hilton Ave, Frizinghall, Bradford

Postings: 7FPP, 8FPP

Off sick from 2 Dec 1942 to 23 Feb 1943, following a crash-landing in Wellington W5587 after complete failure of the port engine.

Suspended for 1 day in Dec-43 for Loss of Ferry Pilot's Notes;

Aug-44, reprimanded for low flying: "This pilot has not settled down at this pool, I have recommended C.O.O. to post him [back to 7FPP]. O.C. 8FPP

"An excellent Officer who, by his good flying and behaviour, has been a real asset to the Pool."

d. Mar 1981 - Staincliffe, N Yorks

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.59	First Officer	Diana Barnato MBE FRAeS
	b. 15 Jan 1918, Camden Town, London	2 Dec-41 to Aug-45

Father: Capt. Joel Woolf 'Babe' Barnato (a financier, chairman of Bentley Motors and a racing driver), mother: Dorothy Maitland [Falk, divorced 1935]

Ed. Queen's College, London

prev. VAD nurse and with the Red Cross

prev. exp. 10 hrs

Address in 1941: Ridgemead, Englefield Green, Surrrey

Postings: 15FPP

Severely Reprimanded in May 1943 for "appearing at Windsor Races wearing trousers and side cap", and Reprimanded in Jun 1943, and demoted to 3rd Officer for 'divertion of operational aircraft"

m. 6 May 1944 in Englefield Green, Wing-Cmdr Derrick 'Derek' Ronald Walker DFC (d. 14 Nov 1945 in a flying accident)

Post-WWII, having gained her commercial licence she became a pilot for the Women's Junior Air Corps, giving air cadets air experience and training flights at weekends.

In 1956, Veronica Volkersz wrote that Diana was one of only 7 women flying commercially: -  "Diana Barnato-Walker flies regularly for the Women's Junior Air Corps"  - and concluded that "The tragedy is that for women, commercial aviation is now - except, possibly, in Russia - a closed field."

[The others were Jackie Moggridge, Monique Rendall, Jean Bird, Suzanne Ashton, Zita Irwin and Freydis Leaf]

She was awarded the Jean Lennox Bird Trophy in 1963:

 Receiving the Jean Lennox Bird Trophy from Lord Brabazon, 1963 [RAeC]

On 26 Aug 1963 she became the first British woman to exceed the speed of sound, and the fastest woman in the world when she attained Mach 1.65 (1262 mph) in an E.E. Lightning T.4.

Wrote "Spreading My Wings" (1994)

d. 28 Apr 2008

"In later years Diana Barnato Walker took up sheep farming and was master of the Old Surrey and Burstow foxhounds for thirteen seasons, while continuing to fly for the Women's Junior Air Corps (renamed in 1964 the Girls' Venture Corps). She also became commodore of the Air Transport Auxiliary Association. She died of pneumonia on 28 April 2008 in a hospital near her sheep farm in Surrey, and was survived by her son, Barney."

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.699 *		Edward Leslie Barrington M.C., D.F.C.
	b. 23 Jun 1895, Harborne, Stafford	4 Feb 1942 to 19 Oct 1943

Awarded the Military Cross 26 May1917 as a 2nd Lieut (temp Captain) in the Devon Regiment, "for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He succeeded in establishing telephonic communication with the front line almost immediately the objective was reached. He set a splendid example of courage and determination."

Later joined the RFC and RAF.

 Flt-Lt in RAF in 1924, later Sqn-Ldr

One accident:

- 27 Jul 1943, in Hellcat FN324; "during take-off the aircraft swung to port and sruck the marking post on a cart working out of sight over the crest of the runway"

d. 1976 - Cheltenham, Glos

M.689 *	Senior Commander	Hon. Benjamin Ludlow 'Ben' Bathurst 2nd Viscount Bledisloe
	b. 2 Oct 1899, Westbury, Wilts	1 Dec 1941 to 15 Dec 1945

1928

ATAM

Ed.  Eton, Magdalen College, Oxford (B.A.)

2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery in WWI.

prev. a Barrister at Law; Squadron Leader in the RAF.

m 1933 Joan Isobel [Krishaber]

Postings: before Apr 43, ATA Chief Establishment Officer; from Apr 1943 Director of Services and Personnel

"In early 1944 [6 Apr] the ATA were called in to collect a Hudson from Holmsley South in the New Forest, which had been flown in from the Middle East and had been landed, one must suppose, at the first airfield in England that came into view. The task fell to Ben Bathurst, one of the senior members of the headquarters staff, who had only recently completed his Hudson conversion course. Nobody at Holmesley South had ever seen a Hudson but eventually, the crew satisfied themselves as to the serviceability of the aircraft and made their departure.

The runway at Holmesley South was a long one but even so, the Hudson even with full engine power refused to become airborne and the take-off ended in an adjacent field minus wheels and engines.Ben and his flight engineer were indeed lucky to escape."

"During the next few months three Hudsons were lost in similar circumstances, in each case the crew being killed. It was at this stage that Coastal Command put in hand an investigation which showed that all four Hudsons had recently returned from the Middle East where they had been parked out in the tropical sun. The sun and heat, it was decided, had split the rubber of the wing leading-edge de-icing boots causing a breakdown of the air over the wings. After this the rubber was replaced by metal sheeting." ELC

He also had another accident on 2 Jan 1945, when his Stinson Reliant FB669 landed at White Waltham minus an escape hatch, which must have blown off in flight, "probably due to insecure fastening."

"The Hon. and Mrs Benjamin Bathurst" Tatler, 1946

d. 17 Sep 1979

see his entry in  https://en.wikipedia.org

M.559	First Officer	Robert Edward Baugh
	b. 30 Nov 1900, Birmingham	18 Jun 1941 to 15 Mar 1944

Father: Robert Baugh, [d. 1946 in Rome], Mother Fanny Dingley [ d. 1935]

Ed. Kings Norton Secondary School, Birmingham

m. 1930 Hilda [Thomas]; 2 children [Samuel b. 1934, Miranda b. 1943]

RAF 1920-24, Flying Officer

prev. a Representative for Osmond and Sons, Ltd, Grimsby (a Cattle Medicine Manufacturer)

Address in 1941: Dorrington, Shrewsbury

Postings: 12FPP, 5FPP, 7FPP

He was a passenger in the crash of Anson N4929 at Scorton airfield on 18th November 1941. "The tail wheel appears to have jammed on landing and caused a swing to develop on the ground, the swing was uncontrolled and the starboard undercarriage leg appears to have collapsed resulting in the aircraft skiding to a halt with the starboard wing and aileron being listed as damaged."

http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york41/n4929.html

Off sick 6 Feb to 9 Mar 1942 with dental caries;

Off sick 12 Sep to 30 Nov 1942 with concussion.

"His progress through the School was very slow, due partly to a long period of sickness, and a tendency to lack confidence. He is of a somewhat nervous disposition... as a pilot, he is about average."

"He is a modest man with a likeable personailty and the makings of a good officer."

[Contract Terminated by ATA 15 Mar 1944]

Post-WWII, he worked in Kenya (see below) and travelled back to the UK from Mombasa, alone, arriving on the 28 Nov 1958.

Hilda had travelled back to the UK, alone, in Aug 1956.

On 9 Dec 1959, he wrote to Diana Barnato Walker this sad little letter:

"Dear Mrs Barnato-Walker,

You may possibly remember me in the old A.T.A. days - but it is a long time ago. I was at St Pauls on Remembrance Sunday this year and saw you there, but did not have a chance to speak to you as I had to leave directly the service was over.

The purpose of this letter is to ask you if you can help me to get a job in Africa where I believe you have large interests. I have been in Kenya for the last few years doing irrigation and development work and planting. Before the war I was cotton-growing in the Sudan and Egypt. In Kenya I was in a government department working in the Northern Frontier Province, but in 1958 the scheme I was engaged on was abandoned owing to the financial recession, and I became redundant. I stayed on in Kenya for some time with friends hoping to get another job but there was nothing doing; during this time I had the misfortune to have a riding accident in which I fractured my skull and broke my hip-bone, and as I could not afford to pay the hospital fees out there I had to return to this country for treatment.

I am quite better now but have no qualifications for a job in this country, although I have tried very hard to get work I have had no luck. My money ran out some time ago and I have been (and am) living on a very small allowance from the National Assistance Board, which just pays for my cheap lodgings. I am most desperate to get work, and if you can put me on to anything I shall be more than grateful.

Yours Sincerely, Robert E Baugh

p.s. I am perfectly willing to do anything and go anywhere."

Diana passed the letter on to Mr Moore, who was the ATA contact point, and added:

"4 Jan 1960

Dear Mr Moore,

Here is the letter that I spoke to you on the telephone about. If you can do anything right away for him perhaps you will let me know?

I have no contacts now in South Africa, but suggest that when you have contacted Baugh re his present position, that I send his letter on to Mr and Mrs Alan Butler - she was Lois Butler of the ATA - & see if they have any ideas, or offers of employment. For they have a considerable estate in Nairobi.

Unfortunately they are away until mid February."

... And that is all I know, so far... (sorry)

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.585	First Officer	Victor Richard Baxter-Jones
	b. 7 Jun 1918, Wells, Somerset	15 Jul 1941 to 31 Dec 1945

1936

ICCL

1947

Educated at Jordan Hill College School, Glasgow

 Trudy's 1939 RAeC Cert photo

m. 1940 Gertrude 'Trudy' [Eklid], 1 daughter

RAFVR Mar-Nov 1937

prev.  Ground Engineer for Bristol Aeroplane Co

Address in 1941: 7 Market Hill, Calne, Wilts

d. 31 Jan 2014, Gainesville GA

"Mr. Baxter-Jones also became the senior concierge at Maxim's de Paris in Palm Springs, Calif. He was loved by all the hotel guests for his English appearance, accent and manners.

When World War II ended Mr. Baxter-Jones worked for the De Havilland Aircraft Company. This career took him from England to the United States in 1957. He lived in Rockford, Ill., Plymouth, Mich., San Antonio, Texas, and Palm Springs, Calif., until moving to Georgia in 1992. He loved the friendly people and beauty of the state of Georgia especially the birds, the wildlife and the climate.

He met the love of his life, Trudy at a flying club in England at the beginning of World War II. She had learned to fly and had made a solo flight before they married. He felt that it was too dangerous for a woman to fly during the war so she never flew again.

Mr. Baxter-Jones wished to be cremated and his ashes returned to his birthplace, in Wells, Somerset, England. A memorial service will be performed at a later date in his beloved Wells Cathedral. 
Mr. Baxter-Jones is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Sue and Steve McMillian, Gainesville; granddaughter and husband, Shea Jaworski, North Little Rock, Ark.; great-grandson and great-granddaughter, Vincent and Anna Jaworski; and his niece, Penelope Baxter-Jones, Hampshire, England. 

See http://www.legacy.com/obituaries

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.257	First Officer	Peter Wellburn Bayliss
	b. 17 Jul 1915, Wolverhampton	18 Feb 1941 to Aug-45

educated at Charterhouse

an Iron Founder (Bayliss, Jones & Bayliis Ltd, Wolverhampton)

Address in 1941: 'Woodthorne', Tettenhall, Staffs

Postings: 1FPP, 6FPP, 12FPP, 14FPP

"A good pilot of sound average ability", but he was:

a) severely reprimanded and given 2 extra duties for 'Neglect of Duty' in Jun-43; "When detailed for night duty pilot and fire-watcher, he left the airfield on two occasions without permission" and

b) reprimanded in Feb-44 for taxiing a Proctor so carelesslythat the port wing hit a gate post.

He seems to have settled down later; his discipline was regarded as "satisfactory" by late 1944.

m. Aline Johncelyne Spiers (nee Pickin), also an aviator, in 1946

Flew Proctor II G-AKXZ in the 1949 Goodyear Race

He took out a patent in 1956: "Improvements in or relating to vices" (not that sort of vices, silly).

Later Director and Secretary of Brockmore-Bede Aircraft of the Brockmoor Foundry Co., Brierley Hill, W. Midlands.

d. 14 Nov 1992 - Titley Kington, Herefordshire

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

1935

ATAM

Ed. Winchester, then BA from New College Oxford

prev. Coldstream Guards 2nd Lieut. 1929-31

a Timber Merchant

Address in 1940: Amberde House, Taunton

prev. exp. 540 hrs. Owned 2 aircraft:

- G-ACRD, a 1934 BA Swallow 2, and

- G-AEUX, a 1937 Miles Whitney Straight.

Postings: 1FPP, 2FPP, 6FPP, 7FPP, 9FPP (also seconded to AFTS, Air Ministry and RAE Farnborough)

"An excellent ferry pilot, an admirable officer and a charming person. If his reactions to a situation are not always conventional, they are always sound and sensible."

Feb-45: "His qualities are such that he has been appointed acting second-in-command of No. 9 Ferry Pool". 

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.138	3rd Officer	Edith 'Ditty' Beaumont
+  ->	b. 24 Aug 1917, Berne, Switzerland	20 Sep-43 to Sep-45

via Michael Mackenzie

RAeC 1945

Mother (Emily) and father both German.

After Edith was born in Switzerland, she and her mother Emily moved back to Bavaria, then Emily married, in 1920, RAF Flying Officer (Later Air Commodore) Frank Beaumont (prev. RFC, PoW in WWI, 1935-38 Air Attaché, Prague, 1942-45 Director of Allied Air Co-operation and Foreign Liaison, 1945- Air Attaché, Belgrade)

Ed. Heathfield School, Ascot

British Nationality 1936

 prev. private secretary to the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia

with June Cole in 1945 (with thanks to Michael Mackenzie)

Gave up flying in about 1947, after a leg problem.

m. 1948 Dr. Charles Petri (divorced)

m. 1953 James Young Mackenzie (2 sons)

d. 1 Dec 1991

Her son Michael kindly tells me that "Our mother told my brother that there was a fellow pilot in whom she was interested and on good terms with. One day, she went into the Mess and, while talking to somebody else, saw this man across the room and said, “Ah there is XXXX. I must go and say hello”, whereupon the person to whom she was talking said words to the effect of “But do you not know? He died in a crash.”

"Our mother was not given to drama, indeed quite the contrary." 

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

prev. Farming, Engineering and Aircraft Operator

prev exp. 700hrs

He owned:

G-AAHE, a 1929 Avro 594 Avian IV (which competed in the King's Cup, 1931);

G-ACFH, a 1933 Avro 640 Cadet, and G-ACPB, a 1934 Avro Cadet, which he offered to the ATA.

Commended by his C.O. in June 1941 - "outstanding... always willing to start at any time of the day for any destination.  One of our best."

d. 30 Jan 1942 (Died in ATA Service) - Curtiss Mohawk AR671 stalled attempting forced landing at Pershore Aerodrome following engine failure.

buried Capel Madog. 

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.1009	3rd Officer	John Anthony Harkness Beckton
	b. 16 Jul 1917, Brighton	4 Oct 1943 to 30 Jun 1945

ATA

MAMM

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.---	Cadet	Betty Bell
	b. 23 Sep 1919, Holborn, London	1 Apr 1942 to 2 May 1942

Father: Robert Norton Bell, 55 St Albans Park, Sidney Parade, Dublin, mother: Marie [Stemple or Stempel, d. 1939]

Ed. Westcliff High School, Essex

 [Contract Terminated by ATA - "Unlikely to become an efficient ferry pilot"]

m. 1942 in Dublin, Matthew David Buchalter(?)

d. 7 Oct 1978 (?)

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.---	Cadet	Dorothy Ritson Bell
	b. 27 May 1920, Carlisle	8 May 1944 to 25 May 1944

 Father: Alfred Redmayne Bell (an agriculturalist, d. 1925 in Nigeria), mother: Ruth Dorothy [Ritson]

prev: Private secretary; WAAF

Next of Kin: (uncle) Alan Brewis Bell

Address in 1944: Cardrona, Wise Lane, Mill Hill London NW7

Contract Terminated by ATA - unlikely to become an efficient ferry pilot

 m. 1945 in Paddington, John T Tierney (?)

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

1930

ATA

ATAM

Educated at Gresham School, Holt then New College Oxford.

Associate Member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, in 1929

Father: William Thomas Bell

prev. an engineer for Robey & Co., Lincoln and an Inspector in the Lincoln City Special Constabulary from Aug-39

Address in 1941: Hillside, South Park, Lincoln

Postings: 6FPP, 3FPP, 5FPP

 "A capable pilot and a good officer. With the exception of the Fulmar accident [when an undercarriage leg collapsed on landing] all his Training Pool work has been satisfactory".

 Lincolnshire Echo, 16 Sep 1942:

"Ferry Pilot To Pay Damages

An accident near Saxilby Bridge on June 28 was referred to at Lincoln County Court when Frank William Bell, ferry pilot, South Park, Lincoln, defended an action for damages for negligence brought by Charles Freeetone Cansdale, fitter and erector, and his wife, Olive May, Bell St, Lincoln, who were given judgment for £98 3s 10d, and costs.

It was stated that a collision occurred just after Cansdale, who was riding a motor-cycle with his wife on the pillion, emerged from Mill Lane on to Saxilby Rd. Cansdale said that when he reached the junction of the lane and the road he stopped, looked both ways, and not seeing any traffic, went on the main road intending to turn right and go over the bridge.

He was almost on the crown of the road when he saw Bell's car come over the peak of the bridge. He (Cansdale) drove to his correct side of the road, and was straightening up when he saw Bell's car coming over the white line to his side of the road. In an effort to avoid the car he drove so that half the cycle was on the pavement. The car hit the rear of it. His wife was injured, and he was was off work two weeks.

Denial

Bell said he was travelling at about 30mph. After crossing the bridge he could see the motor cycle in Mill Lane. He expected it to stop when it reached the main road, but it did not. He braked hard, and went over to his offside to give the motor cycle a much space as possible. He did not agree that part of the motor cycle was on the pavement when the impact occurred.

P.C. Gough said there was a brake mark 69ft long caused by the car, commencing 8ft 9ins from the offside and ending close to the curb on its offside.

Judge Lanaman said that in swerving to the offside Bell made an error of judgement, but the degree of negligence was small."

d. Sep 1963 - Lincoln

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

His family had made their fortune in the mustard trade.

Ed. Eton (left in 1921)

Height: 6ft 4½ in. Fair hair, blue eyes.

In 1931, he was Venetia Montagu's personal pilot when they decided to tour Persia and Russia in her DH.60G Gipsy Moth G-ABFW. They left Heston on March 27th, reached Budapest on April 1, made a forced landing at Nisch, Jugoslavia, but were able to fly to Constantinople on the 13th April. 20 days later on May 2nd, "when flying from Teheran to Moscow, their machine crashed near Sabzawar, Persia, and, although the machine was burnt, they were both unhurt.”

It only took her a couple of weeks to find another aeroplane, however; she purchased a ‘Moth‘ in Iraq, and left for Astrabad, on the Russian frontier, on May 16. They arrived in Moscow from Tashkent on June 1st, and left for Berlin on June 3rd.

In 1934, he was described as "a very well-known air pilot, of Papillon Hall, Market Harborough, Leicestershire".

He was fined £10, plus 3 guineas costs, in 1936 for persistently smoking on board the Imperial Airways airliner 'Heracles'. He said at the time "I shall smoke if I like, I have always done so". The Times reported that Mr Bellville had joined the Auxiliary Air Force in 1926 and had flown "all over the Continent and all over Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Persia, India, Siam and China". The court was thinking about letting him off with a warning, but were put off by what they described as his "defiant attitude".

In late August 1937, he got himself into the Spanish Civil War (on General Franco's side) and was briefly taken prisoner by the republicans. Apparently, he had (wrongly) heard that Santander had fallen to the nationalists, so he flew himself and the head of the Gonzales Byass sherry firm there, with "a few cases of sherry for the officers of the victorious troops". When they landed at the airport, he discovered his mistake and was taken prisoner and forced to fly to Gijon, while his passenger was held as a hostage. I don't know what happened to the aeroplane... or the sherry!

Rupert was released 10 Sep, 1937, prompting a question in the House of Commons as to "in what circumstances, on whose authority, and at what cost a British destroyer was dispatched" to rescue him.

He sold Papillon Court the following year and thereafter gave his address as "White's Club, London."

His son Hercules ** was born in San Diego in 1939 (Rupert's then-wife was American).

 He resigned from the ATA on 19 Nov 1940.

He gave his profession in 1946 as (trust me) "a bullfighter".

He was declared bankrupt in 1955.

d. 23 Jul 1962, London

His obituary said "Rupert's death will leave a gap in many places. He had a host of friends in London, Paris, New York, Spain, and wherever else his wanderings took him and these friends were of all sections of the community.

Rupert's tragedy was that he was born in the wrong age. He would have been an ideal companion for d'Artagnan or would have been in his element helping Francis Drake to singe the King of Spain's beard. These things being denied to him in this material age, he nevertheless contrived to find adventure in every walk of life. He fought bulls in Spain and became a brilliant air pilot in the years before the war. He also took part in the Spanish Civil War. He loved to gamble and some of his happiest hours must have been spent at backgammon tables all over the world and at the bridge table.

There were times, perhaps, when the world became too much for him but his many friends will remember him for his cavalier qualities and his companionship. To paraphrase the words from which his great friend Ernest Hemingway took the title of a book, "... never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee".

** His son Hercules, who became a famous film director and producer, died of lung cancer on 12 Feb 2009. 

Address in 1940: Union NY

Arrived in the UK 11  Nov 1940 on the SS Duchess of Atholl, with his fellow ferry pilots Howard Charles Alsop (M.165), - Donald Lee Annibal (M.163), Robert Olyn Gragg (M.173), Dan B Jacques, Charles John Smith, Malcolm F Stewart and Roy Edwin Wimmer.

Postings: 14FPP

 d. 3 Aug 1941 (Died in ATA Service) in Havoc AH463 which crashed In bad visibility into hills New Cumnock Ayrshire

 findagrave.com

buried Monkton and Prestick Cemetery

M.1049	3rd Officer	John Leslie Bennett
	b. 17 Oct 1914, Manchester	29 Jan 1944 to Sep-45

prev. Sales Mgr for BO Morris, Birmingham, then a Sergeant in the RAFVR Oct-39 to Apr-41

His grandson kindly tells me that "Your website has prompted a conversation with my Mum (his daughter) regarding my Grandfather's life in the war - She informs me that that she thinks he had wanted to be a pilot in the RAF but had not passed the necessary exams, so instead became a rear gunner/bomber in Lancasters.  

He spoke very little of his time in the RAF, but did regale a story of almost falling out of the gunning position in the Lancaster (through the floor), and of dropping bales of propaganda leaflets over Germany - they were supposed to cut the strings to let them flutter down, but instead just through them out in hope they would land on a German's head!  

There is then a period of time that is unaccounted for, but my mum wonders if he had had some sort of breakdown from some comments he made very late in his life about spending some time in hospital.  Then he spent 18 months in the ATA - my Mum remembers him talking about flying with the instruction manual on his knees as he flew all sorts of different planes!"

...and here are some of the photographs his grandson sent me:

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.45	First Officer	Margaret Ellen 'Faith' Bennett
	b. 12 May 1903, London	8 Jul 1941 to 31 Jul 1945

née Margaret Ellen Riddick

Father: Harry Riddick, mother Mabel

Ed. Selhurst High School, Croydon, Surrey

Her elder brother, Private Stanley Charles Riddick, d. 15 Nov 1916, aged 19, in France during WWI.

 She married Hollywood film writer Charles Alfred Selwyn Bennett in 1930, and calling herself 'Faith Bennett', was an actress pre-WWII -  firstly on the London stage:

"Faith Bennett, who will play lead in 'Recipe for Murder', a new play by Arnold Ridley, which opens at the Duke of York's Theatre on December 21" (1932)

... and then in many films, including 'Eyes of Fate', 'Hawleys of High Street' and 'The Pride of the Force' (1933), and 'Seeing Is Believing', and 'Master and Man' (both 1934)), although I've seen references to other films e.g. 'Love In The Air' and 'Atlantic Crossing'...

  "In taste, quality and packing the equal of much dearer cigarettes but not quite so large; big enough, however, to last the full 10 minutes" (1937)

 ... and also played the Fairy Godmother in 'Cinderella', the Drury Lane pantomime, in !934

At the same time, she took up flying and passed for her 'A' Licence at Sywell Aerodrome in 1934 (which apparently included wearing 'weird and wonderful costumes' at the Novelty Dance held there in February:

 [Charles also took lessons, but doesn't seem to have gained his certificate]

In May 1941 she decided to 'do her bit': "Faith Bennett, actress and writer, is flying to England to ferry 'planes for the Royal Air Force [sic]. Mrs Bennett was born in London 30 years ago [sic]. Flying is her hobby. She holds both American and British licenses. ''One of my brothers died in the last war, another is in the Royal Navy, my sister is a censor at Bermuda - they are all doing their bit, and I want to do mine,' she said."

prev. exp. 296 hrs

Address in 1941: Falcon House, Sonning, Berks

Postings: 1FPP, 5TFPP, 15FPP

 Off sick from 9 Dec 1941 to 6 Jan 1942 after her Hurricane crash, and 27 Oct 1943 to 13 Jan 1944 with 'concussion'

Rather unfortunate: 11 accidents, 3 her fault:

- 8 Dec 1941, she persisted too far in bad weather, stalled her Hurricane BD859 near the ground and broke the undercarriage

           [see https://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york41/bd859.html]

- 16 Feb 1943, the port leg of her Tomahawk AH802 broke off during landing

- 24 Feb 1943, in another Tomahawk AH845, the port undercarriage leg collapsed

- 16 Sep 1943, forced landing in a Hurricane after the landing gear locked up

- 10 Aug 1943, in Master I T8366, which veered off the runway and collided with a car, due to ineffective brakes

- 1 Oct 1943, her Hudson swung off the runway on landing, because the tail wheel lock had disengaged

- 20 Oct 1943, a taxying accident in an Anson, due to an error of judgement on her part

- 23 Jan 1944, her Mosquito suffered a 'strained' port undercarriage leg on landing - faulty indicator light

- 25 Apr 1944, forced landing in Seafire MB356, after the landing gear locked up

- 30 May 1944, the port undercarriage leg of her Barracuda II BV921 collapsed on landing

- 29 Jun 1945, she failed to control the swing when landing Mosquito XXV KB617

"Extremely keen and hardworking. Seems to have regained confidence" "Her navigation is somewhat unorthodox. Technical knowlege poor"

Class IV pilot

m. 1946 Herbert Henry Newmark, also an ex-ATA pilot:

d. 14 Mar 1969 - London.

 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_Bennett

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

Father: Capt. Philip Dennis Bennett (5th Bn, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, an architect, m. 17 Aug 1915, d. 24 Feb 1919 from influenza)

Philippa was born 9 months after her father died.

Mother: Doris Mary [Lowe, m. 1922 Ian Forbes Panton, he d. 1935]

Philippa's elder brother Dennis Labron Bennett was b. 20 Nov 1917, BA (Cantab), d. 25 Oct 1942 at El Alamein

Ed. Westonbirt School, Glos

Address in 1937: Ash Cottage, Harlington, Hayes, Middx

She was engaged to Francis Richard Bevan, RASC (previously a 'Mountie' with the RCMP) in May 1940.

 Postings: 5FPP, 15FPP

Class 5 (4-engine) pilot

7 accidents, 3 her fault:

- 7 Sep 1941, in Hurricane W9124 at Hatfield, she collided with a Tiger Moth due to 'gross carelessness'

- 20 Oct 1941, she failed to control the landing swing of Tomahawk AH808, and ground-looped (at Colerne)

- 18 Nov 1941, a forced landing in Anson R3340 after port engine failure

- 20 May 1942, she taxied Anson AX537 into a narrow parking space, ignoring the signal made by a member of the ground crew, and the tail hit a starter trolley

- 9 Sep 1943, a forced landing in Halifax II BB135, after a battery exploded

- 28 Oct 1944, another forced landing, this time in Walrus I W3008 after she lost all brake pressure

- 8 Jun 1945, a fourth forced landing, in Barracuda II DR202 when she noticed the batteries were overheating (due to incorrect voltage adjustment).

Commended for "valuable service in the air", 14 Jun 1945

   RAeC

26 March 1946: "26-year-old Miss Philippa Bennett has been flying planes ever since she was 17. For 5 and a half years she flew with the Air Transport Auxiliary service, when she piloted all types of planes from 4-engined bombers to Spitfires. She got her B Licence in 1938. Now she is proposing to make a business out of what was her hobby and her war work; she has bought two high wing monoplanes with which she is starting her own air taxi service at Southampton Airport. She hopes to specialise in aerial photographic work.

Photo Shows: Miss Phillippa Bennett in her taxi monoplane at Southampton Airport"

 The three aircraft Philippa eventually owned included the Foster Wikner Wicko GM1s G-AFJB and G-AGPE (the latter used for spares)

  http://www.wicko.com/wickohistory.htm

"When Geoffrey Wickner purchased a surplus Halifax bomber with the intention of returning to Australia he sold the Wicko to Philippa Bennett who used the aircraft in her air taxi service again out of Eastleigh. During that time the machine was extensively damaged in a forced landing, caused by bad weather when it ran over the edge of a cliff, fortunately without injury to the occupants. After repair the aircraft was sold but again was registered to Philippa and Lettice Curtis who raced the aircraft at a number of events under the race number 39. The handicappers were unkind to the Wicko and her pilot and the aircraft was not too well placed at any event. "

"Although exciting and fulfilling, it was not a financially viable enterprise"

m. Jul 1947 in Winchester, Wing Commander Maurice Booth DFC (3 sons)

"She later settled in the village of Durrington in Wiltshire where she owned and ran the village shop" - The Telegraph

d. 24 May 2007 - Salisbury

1928

ATAM

Educated at Rugby School

m. Priscilla M Baumer, in 1930; 2 children before joining ATA

A "well known member of the gliding community" with his great friend Philip Wills (q.v.); in 1930 he received the Dent Cup ("in memory of Mr. David Dent, who did such good work for gliding in general"), for the year's outstanding performance, for his cross-country flight to Hornchurch, Essex, made with very little previous soaring experience.

Here he is in 1938 with Capt. Harold Balfour, the Under-Secretary of State for Air, in a Falcon III glider:

 Flight

prev. an advertising copywriter with WS Crauford Ltd. From 1938, Sales and Advertising Manager for Desoutter.

Address in 1940: Stamford Brook House, London W.6

Postings: 1FPP, 16FPP, 6FPP, 4FPP, 4aFPP, 2FPP, 9FPP

'A keen and competent pilot, and an able and hardworking administrator.'

From 16 Jul 1942, ran No 9 FPP Aston Down 'in an eminently satisfactory manner'.

"He leaves ATA with an excellent record behind him." (Gerard d'Erlanger, O.C. ATA)

Wrote "Fly and Deliver - A Ferry Pilot's Log Book" (AirLife, 1982)

d. Jan 1986, London

[His elder brother Jack also joined the ATA in 1941, but died the same year in a flying accident]

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.264	First Officer	John Graham 'Jack' Bergel
	b. 1 Mar 1902, London	2 Mar 1941 to Nov-41

prev. a journalist for the 'London Evening News' from 1925; "no previous employment"

His brother Hugh said: "Jack was nearly four years older than I was, so that we never overlapped at school, and were never quite as close to each other as I would have liked. All his working life had been spent on the London Evening News, which he joined as a cub reporter. By the time he left to join ATA he was, or had been, wireless correspondent, motor-racing correspondent, music critic, Rugby football correspondent, aviation correspondent and writer of the Diary. But for years his main job had been that of Dramatic Critic, and there must be some who can still recall the reviews he wrote over the initials J.G.B."

prev exp. 160 hrs

He originally applied in July 1940: "My brother Hugh tells me that the A.T.A. is still anxious to recruit ferry pilots. As I am despairing, after ten months, of getting into the RAF in any capacity - I've seen three [selection] boards who all lose interest when they find I'm over 30 and wear glasses - I would like to know if I am any good for your service - which sounds disrespectful, I'm afraid, but isn't meant to be."

He added: "I'm nothing like as good a pilot, naturally, as Hugh, but I can find my way; it always was my one aeronautical talent."

[

His brother Hugh had learnt to fly in 1928, and had already joined the ATA]

However, when he turned up for a flight test in September 1940, the report was that "this applicant's standard of flying is so low that he cannot be accepted for ATA duties even on light types".

By January 1941 the ATA had realised that it needed more pilots, even if they had to train them themselves. Accordingly, a second test was arranged for the 19th January; this time he was accepted, and duly started on the 3rd March.

By the 7th November, when he was posted to No 6 FPP, he had satisfactorily passed training courses on Classes 1, 2, 3 and 4 aircraft. Sadly, he was killed a week later.

d. 15 Nov 1941 (Died in ATA Service) - Blenheim Z6080 stalled on landing approach to Oulton. He "made his final approach too slowly, particularly having regard to the fact that it was a fully equipped Blenheim IV, with inner and outer tanks full."

[Hugh attributed the accident to a faulty air-speed indicator reading, "caused by water in the system, which in turn was caused by aircraft having to live their lives out in the open through all weathers."]

His mother said of him "Jack's happiest months were spent in the ATA".

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.----	2nd Officer	Paul Bernard
	b. 21 Jun 1903, Nancy, France	28 Oct to 8 Nov 1940

Father: Levy Bernard, a clothing manufacturer; Mother: Marie

Next of Kin: (wife) Martha Bernard, 49 Avenue Lanterne, Nice, France

2 children, Micheline c. 1931, Nicole c. 1932

prev. Society of Industrial Construction of Aeronautics, Ministry of Defence; French Air Force 1922-39; RAF pilot (Flt-Sgt) at Odiham from 16 Jul 1940

Address in 1940: White Hart Hotel, Odiham, Hants

 Postings: -

 "MAP Refused Employment" "Air Ministry Approval Witheld"

 Sailed from UK to Buenos Aires, Argentina in Apr 1941, then to US

Paul's US Registration Card, dated 16 Feb 1942. Employer: Bennie Schwabacher of Bessemer, AL

 He, Martha Michelline and Nicole sailed to the USA in 1949

 d. 25 May 1978 - Neuilly-Sur-Seine, Hauts-De-Seine, France

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.589	3rd Officer	Simpson Fernald Berry
	b. 7 Nov 1905, Boston MA	26 May 1941 to Feb-42

prev. 'Civilian Military Training Camp from Aug-Sep 1925. Rank Private' (that appears to be it)

also, testing refrigerators and ferrying 'new small aeroplanes'

Contract Terminated by ATA - Failure to reach required standard (3 pilot-at-fault accidents), coupled with disobedience of ATA Standing Orders by repeatedly flying above heavy cloud.

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.652	First Officer	Neville Vezey Bertram
	b. 23 Dec 1910, Birmingham	25 Jul 1941 to Jan-42

prev. RAF 1929-34, No. 12 Bomber Squadron, R.A.F., Andover, Hants.

declared bankrupt in 1934, then went into advertising

 m. Joan Grumbar in 1935

[Contract Terminated by ATA - Disciplinary reasons]

d. 1956, London

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

father: also Peter Andreas Bertram [originally from Denmark, naturalised 1922], owner and operator of the Mattoon Butter Co., d. 1965

Ed. High School, Monmouth IL

m. 1945 Ellen Rose [Huckleberry], 1 daughter (Linda Lee)

prev. a ferry pilot and inspector at Piper Aircraft Corp. Lock Haven , PA

Address in 1941: 846 4th St, Charleston, IL

d. 24 Feb 1989 - Fort Myers, FL

 buried Mattoon, IL

"Peter A. Bertram Jr, moved here 17 years ago from Charleston, Ill, and he had owned and operated the Beach View Cottages on Sanibel Island. He served as Captain in the Air Transport Auxiliary of the RAF of England from 1940 to 1945 [sic]. Mr. Bertram was a  member of the Sanibel-Captiva Power Squadron, and was a former member of the Sanibel Chamber of Commerce, the Hotel and Motel Assoc of Lee County, and the Charleston Rotary Club of Charleston, Illinois."

News-Press, Fort Myers FL

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.1123 *	2nd Officer	Charles Robertson Beverley
	b. 5 Mar 1899, Keith, Bannfshire, Scotland	3 Jul 1944 to 31 Mar 1945

prev. an Engineer

Address in 1935: 212 Wilmslow Rd, Cheadle, Cheshire

d. 17 Jan 1963 - Cheshire 

W.93	First Officer	Mrs Patricia Gladys Beverley
	b. 22 Aug 1910, Egham Surrey	29 Jul 1942 to 31 Oct 1945

 nee Seemann

Father: Norman Charles Seemann, mother Beatrice Maud [Grey, d. 1926]

m. 1931 in Barnet, Robert Lewis Beverley, (original surname Baker, based in S. Rhodesia in 1942)

Her brother, Norman Walter Keith Seeman, was killed age 25 in a car accident in 1934. Patricia was injured in the same accident and was "carried into court", which decided that former racing driver William Berkeley Scott was responsible for the accident due to "careless, reckless and dangerous driving."

 Address in 1942: Stone House Hotel, Hatfield

Joined ATA originally as an MT Driver

Postings: 1FPP, 5FPP

Class 3 Pilot

Reprimanded and fined 3 days salary in Feb 1943 for 'Neglect of Duty'

4 accidents, 2 her fault:

- 1 May 1943, a forced landing in a Hurricane after a hydraulic failure

- 20 Jul 1943, while taxying 'without sufficient care', her Spitfire Vb hit a stationary Beaufighter [Severely reprimanded]

- 29 Nov 1943, she landed her Proctor LZ651 crosswind on wet grass, disobeying airfield 'runways only' signals, skidded and hit an obstruction [Severely reprimanded and suspended without pay for three days]

- 13 Apr 1945, a wheels-up forced landing in Mustang IV KM217 after the selector lever jammed

d. 27 Feb 1948 in Miles M.65 Gemini 1a G-AJZI owned by St. Christopher Travel-Ways Ltd, which crashed at Ridge Park, Wallington shortly after take-off from Croydon airport.

She was acting as co-pilot to Wing-Cmdr William Herbert Whetton; he and the 2 passengers were injured in the crash.

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

ATA

Ed. Burlesan College (M.A.)

m. M. E. , 1 son Thomas

prev. "Aviation"

Address in 1940: 202 Canterbury Dr, Terrill Hills, San Antonio TX

Postings: 6FPP

1 Accident, not his fault:

- 6 Sep 1940, Hurricane broke tail wheel when landing - possibly a fault in the material.

Seconded to AtFero in 20 Mar 1941

WWII US Draft Card shows he was employed by Canadian Pacific Railway Air Service Dept on 16 April 1941

Contract Terminated 13 May 1941 - "Deserted"

1943-44 Joined American Export Airlines (Naval Air Transport Service) as a pilot

1945-47, was a pilot for American Overseas Airlines and lived at 407 Bayou View, Houston TX

m. 25 Dec 1948 Marie [Oscar] in Florida

1951 Pilot for Pan American

d. 8 Dec 1974 (age 63) - American Hospital of Paris, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

m. to Bernadette [Dulin] [d. Mar 1990, Indiana]

Address in 1940: 836 Bauer St, Hammond, Indiana

prev. a printer, and airport operator

Postings: 1FPP

 "This pilot is absolutely first class & one of the keenest and hardest working in the pool."

d. 6 Jul 2000 - Indiana

"Veteran, Pilot. Flew the infamous P51 Mustang named "The Galloping Ghost" which won many of the Cleveland Air Races and Thompson Trophy Races. Former Spokesman for Kendall Oil. Married to Bernadette Dulin Beville for 56 years."

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

Learnt to fly in 1936 at the Witney and Oxford Aero Club

On the 8 Mar 1941, his C.O. wrote that he was amongst those pilots who "have been outstanding in the way they have worked, and the example they have set".

d. 1999, New Forest, Hants 

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

1931

MAMM

m. 1936 Molly [Child]; 1 child Penelope b. 1940

Was in Canada from  Aug 1923 to Dec 1924

prev. a Departmental Manager (Sales) for British Cellophane Co.

prev. exp. 52 hrs on DH Moth, Blackburn Bluebird

Home Guard from Jul 1940 to Apr 41, Volunteer

Address in 1941: 22 Quantock Rd, Bridgewater, Somerset

Postings: 7FPP, 2FPP

Off sick (in hospital) from 11 Oct to 7 Dec 1943

"A good officer and an average pilot. Keen and hard-working. Progress should not be hurried in view of limited experience prior to ATA."

d. Nov 1995 - Surrey

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.---- *	First Officer	Horace Jerome 'Hory Ray' Bingham
	b. 12 May 1909,  Summer Hills, NSW	17 Aug 1940 to ??

Father: Horace Henry Bingham, Mother: Eileen Minnie [Dowling]

Address in 193-36: 1683 Pacific Highway, Wahrooga

prev. Clerk

 m. Jul 1938 in Camberwell, London, Nina Mary [Jeffereyes]

 ATA

Postings:

 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in WWII - looks like he was in a Sunderland squadron:

  Ancestry

He sailed to South Africa on 19 Aug 1942 as a 'Civil Aviation Traffic Officer'. He gave his address as 38 Underhill Rd, E Dulwich, London SE22

He flew to Honolulu, en route to California, in November 1957, on Qantas:

d. 10 Jun 1980 - Poole, Dorset

* ATA Personnel File Missing

W.46	First Officer	Jean Lennox Bird
	b. 8 Jul 1912, Hong Kong	1 Aug 1941 to 30 Nov 1945

Father: Col. L G Bird DSO, OBE, of The Old Farm, Beech, nr Alton, Hants

Ed. Manor House, Limpsfield

WAAF ASO from 16 May 1940 to 31 Jul 1941

Postings: 5FPP, 15FPP, 4FPP, 6FPP

Class 4+ pilot

6 accidents, 3 her fault:

- 15 May 1942, her Spitfire BR236 ran into an umarked soft patch when landing, and nosed over

- 26 Jun 1942, she stalled Albacore L2174 attempting a forced landing, after the windscreen became obscured with oil

- 18 Nov 1943, after taking off in Anson R9757, she bent down to retrieve a Form 700, inadvertently pushed forward the control column, and wrecked the undercarriage in the subsequent crash.

- 15 Mar 1944, a spectacular-sounding crash in Hudson III T9426; on take-off, due to insufficient speed the port wing dropped and hit the ground, and the aircraft cartwheeled. However, she was held 'not to blame'.

- 17 Jul 1944, she was unable to correct the take-off swing of her Spitfire IX PL162, ran off the runway, ground-looped to avoid some workmen, and nosed over

- 16 Apr 1945, a jeep ran into her Mosquito VI HR136 while she was taxying, and damaged the starboard undercarriage

"An extremely sensible, keen and good pilot on whom one can rely... must guard against giving a wrong impression by her difficult manner" - Margot Gore, her C.O.

Awarded her RAF 'Wings' in Sep 1952, the first of 5 women (all ex-ATA pilots) to do so when serving with the short-lived (1 Feb 1949 - 1954) Women's Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (WRAFVR). The others were Benedetta Willis, Jackie Moggridge, Freydis Leaf and Joan Hughes 

In 1956, Veronica Volkersz wrote that Jean was one of only 7 women flying commercially: -  "Jean Bird flies a Miles Aerovan on aerial survey"  - and concluded that "The tragedy is that for women, commercial aviation is now - except, possibly, in Russia - a closed field."

[The others were Jackie Moggridge, Monique Rendall, Suzanne Ashton, Zita Irwin, Diana Barnato-Walker and Freydis Leaf]

d.  29 Apr 1957 in the crash of Miles Aerovan 4 G-ASIF belonging to Meridian Air Maps. "... evidence was given that the aircraft had been fitted with an incorrect spare part"

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/28632

 Full biography here: Jean Bird - Wikipedia

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip files):

1936

Educated at Radley

Address in 1940: 12 High St, Portsmouth

prev. a Solicitor (Messrs Brutton Birkett & Walsh, 132 High St Portsmouth)

Postings: 4FPP, 4aFPP

His Feb-45 recommendation for promotion (he was briefly a Flight Captain) calls him "an officer who sets a very high standard of discipline... during the past 12 months this officer has completed 364 hrs flying and has now flown all types of Class 5 aircraft, including Liberators.

He has spent 20 days on Accidents Investigation and I understand his work in this respect has been outstanding."

d. Jun 1983 - Portsmouth

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.626	First Officer	David Arthur Bishop
	b. 3 Mar 1911, Hilbert Wisconsin	23 Jun 1941 to 13 Sep 1943

ather: Willmer Bishop (dec'd) Mother: Catherine [Martin]

ed. West Green Bay High School (grad. 1929)

prev. a driver on an automobile boat; a shipping clerk on a boat dock, Manager of Brown County Airport, and a commercial pilot.

Address in 1941: 231 Allard Ave, Green Bay, Wisonsin ([Mother's address]

"slight scar on nose"

Postings: 4FPP, 4aFPP, 2FPP

Suspended for 4 days in Mar-43 following a wheels-up forced landing in Botha L6508, after he forgot to check that the fuel cocks were correctly set

Suspended for 4 days in Jun-43 for "a breach of discipline and non-compliance with Standing Order"

"A capable and intelligent pilot of above average ability"...

"During the last two months [Aug-Sep 1943] his discipline has improved tremendously, and he has proved to be a most competent pilot who works hard."

Joined the USAAF in December 1943 (as a private, having first been "listed as a delinquent" when he failed to turn up as agreed in October).

"After serving as an instructor on B-25s, A-20s, P-38s, C-47s, AT-6s and several other types of trainers, he was sent in February 1945 to the Asia-Pacific theater as a pilot in the Air Transport Command. He served here eight months, and completed 75 flights over the Himalaya "Hump". He holds the Air Medal, Pacific Theater Ribbon with one battle star, European and American Theater ribbons, and pre-Pearl Harbor, Allied Service and Victory ribbons."

Post-WWII, worked for the Green Bay Auto Distributors as a salesman, and was Democratic candidate for the Green Bay 'Register of Deeds' in November 1948.

m. 1957 Anna [Sadsuske], 1 daughter.

Moved to California in 1960 and operated an auto parts business in Oakland.

d. 4 Mar 1965 - Contra Costa, CA 

buried Hillside Cemetery, http://schema.org/PostalAddress" itemprop="address">Chilton, Calumet County, Wisconsin

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.1042	Cadet (Seconded from RAF)	Frederick Arthur Bishop
	b.  4 December 1915, Bristol	19 Oct 1943 to Apr-45

Sir Frederick Arthur Bishop, (1915–2005), civil servant and director-general of the National Trust.

Joined the Inland Revenue in 1934.

1 Jan 1940 he married Elizabeth Finlay Stevenson (1915–1999), a fellow civil servant; they had two sons and a daughter.

RAF from Feb 1942.

"An ab initio pilot who immediately made steady progress and made great efforts to fly well... he can be assessed as a natural pilot of average ability"

Oxford DNB says: "Bishop returned to the civil service in 1947, initially in the Ministry of Food. There his abilities were soon recognized; within two years he was principal private secretary to the minister, John Strachey, and to his successors Maurice Webb and Gwilym Lloyd George. He was moved to be assistant secretary to the cabinet in 1953. He was an effective manager of the cabinet's economic business, and secretary of its building committee during the government's drive to build 300,000 houses a year, led by Harold Macmillan as minister of housing. He worked closely with the powerful cabinet secretary, Sir Norman Brook, who in 1956 secured his move to 10 Downing Street to become Anthony Eden's principal private secretary. His calm efficiency won the respect, and the ear, of an increasingly embattled prime minister. Some historians believe that even under Eden his advice, and his ‘hawkish’ views on international affairs, began to acquire the influence that was to be more marked under Eden's successor Macmillan.

Macmillan kept Bishop on when he took over as prime minister in 1957. Over the next four years Bishop played a key role in the policy process, exercising influence out of all proportion to his formal responsibilities. With a weak foreign secretary in Selwyn Lloyd, Macmillan relied heavily for advice on international affairs on his civil service private secretaries, whose primary loyalty was increasingly to him personally, treating them as a virtual ‘kitchen cabinet’ (Aldous, ‘Family affair’, 14), ‘more akin to American national security advisers than mere private secretaries’ (McNamara, 67). Working closely with his colleague Philip de Zulueta, Bishop did not hesitate to disagree with, and brief the prime minister against, the official Foreign Office line. He and de Zulueta have been described as the ‘“change agents” essential to any process of [policy] redefinition, [giving] access to ideas that had not been dulled by slow passage through the bureaucratic machine’ (Aldous, ‘Family affair’, 15). When in 1957 Macmillan wanted to ensure American collaboration in resisting communist infiltration into Syria, it was Bishop whom he sent to Washington for talks with the secretary of state, John Foster Dulles. Dulles was charmed and impressed by Bishop, declaring that there was ‘genuine, intimate and effective co-operation, stemming directly from Macmillan’ (McNamara, 100). Bishop often travelled with Macmillan, for instance to the Bermuda conference in March 1957 and to Moscow in 1959, the scene of a celebrated row between Macmillan and Nikita Khrushchov. His role and his influence were openly resented by the Foreign Office and the foreign secretary.

Bishop became deputy secretary to the cabinet in 1959. Although in principle he should now have been impartially serving the cabinet as a whole, he remained very close to the prime minister; he has been described as acting at this time in some respects as though he were still Macmillan's principal private secretary, advising him on European matters. During the protracted debates about Britain's relations with the European Economic Community (EEC), pro-Europeans used Bishop as their direct link to the prime minister. He was appointed CB in 1960, having been made CVO in 1957.

Bishop returned to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food in 1961. Even there he continued to be influential in international affairs, especially in relation to the EEC. One historian, Jacqueline Tratt, has described him as a leading member of the small group—including Harold Macmillan, Edward Heath, and Sir Frank Lee, permanent secretary to the Treasury—that connived to bring about a major change of policy orientation, almost surreptitiously planning and putting into action the ultimately unsuccessful first approach to the EEC in 1961. He also played a significant part in creating the National Economic Development Council. He intended this in part to rival a department he disliked, the Treasury, arguing that there was a need for ‘a more planned approach to the national economic problem … a partnership with employers and unions’ (Ringe and Rollings, 342–3). His draft terms of reference were reproduced largely verbatim when the creation of the council was announced by the chancellor of the exchequer, Selwyn Lloyd.

After three years in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Bishop's government career seemed to be moving towards a climax when, in 1964, he was appointed permanent secretary of the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources, newly created by Harold Wilson. Wilson's aim was to speed up the planning process by removing it from what some saw as the dead hand of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. Others felt that the new department, with a remit to bring forward more land for development by taxing landowners and developers, never had a chance. It was doubly unfortunate for Bishop both that his new minister, Fred Willey, was out of his depth and that the Ministry of Housing and Local Government was led by one of the most formidable civil servants of the post-war period, Dame Evelyn Sharp. She was determined that her department should lose no important responsibilities. Exploiting the access of her own minister, Richard Crossman, to Wilson, she fought ruthlessly to ensure, first, that the new ministry was given no real powers and, second, that it was wound up as soon as possible. Willey's complaints and Wilson's resentment were unavailing. Bishop, who had no illusions about either his ministry or his minister, found himself in a non-job. By June 1965 he had let it be known that he wished to resign from the civil service and Crossman was exulting in his diary, ‘He should be sent off as soon as possible. Let's get rid of him this summer’ (Crossman, 261).

Bishop was an able and well-liked public servant who, in his most senior Whitehall post, was unlucky to be frustrated by such fierce bureaucratic and political in-fighting. He left the civil service in 1965 and took a number of part-time posts, most notably on the board of S. Pearson & Son. In 1968–9 he was a member of a group of former senior officials set up to advise Edward Heath, then leader of the opposition, on reforms to the machinery of government. The Pearson board brought him into regular contact with Patrick Gibson, a committee member (and later chairman) of the National Trust. One result was that in January 1971 Bishop took up his final full-time position, as director-general of the National Trust. He succeeded another former senior official, Sir John Winnifrith, whose name he had suggested himself.

The National Trust, whose ethos Bishop was to describe as ‘amateurism, in the real and best sense of the word’ (Jenkins and James, 258), was trying to bring its style more into line with modern needs; it had opened its first shop in 1970, and during Bishop's tenure enlarged its professional staff and saw its membership double (to 500,000). Described by a former colleague as ‘by nature a manipulator and negotiator’ (Gaze, 235), Bishop used his Whitehall experience and contacts assiduously on behalf of the trust, in particular helping to secure valuable changes in the rules governing the tax treatment of bequests and gifts. Not all was smooth sailing, however: the 1975 annual report noted that ‘a high level of inflation will make it impossible to maintain the high standard of conservation which both members and the general public have come to expect’. When Bishop that year outlined to staff the executive committee's proposals for a 20 per cent cut in real expenditure, the need for this was hotly questioned and tempers ran high. But in general Bishop was popular, both with members of the trust's committee and with staff, for whom he obtained better salary levels and pension arrangements. His management style was described as ‘unobtrusive’, without undue intervention in matters of detail (Gaze, 244).

Bishop (Fred to his family, but Freddie more widely) took early retirement for health reasons from the National Trust in May 1975, having been knighted in January that year, and he and his wife moved to Cornwall. He had already been a member of the BBC's general advisory council (1971–75), a director of Pearson Longman (1970–77), and chairman of the Home Grown Timber Advisory Committee (1966–73); in Cornwall he took up directorships with English China Clays Ltd (1975–86) and Lloyd's Bank (1976–86). He continued to practise his skills as an amateur painter and his gift for friendship, not only with the Gibsons and others but also with Harold Macmillan, who visited the Bishops several times and remained in close touch until his own death. In 1987 Bishop and his wife moved to Hampshire to be closer to their grandchildren. He died at his home, Manor Barn, 65 Church Road, Bramshott, Hampshire, on 2 March 2005, of an acute transformation of chronic lymphatic leukaemia. He was survived by his three children, his wife having predeceased him."

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W.80	First Officer	Betty Ellice Black
	b. 1 Sep 1913, Dunedin NZ	15 Apr-42 to 30 Aug-45

NZ Herald 1943

ATAM

 Father: George Black (NZ Superintendent of Dalgety & Co, d. 1937)

Ed. St Hilda's Collegiate School, Dunedin

prev. exp: 129 hrs 50min, on DH 60, DH82, DH94, Miles Hawk, Magister, Whitney Straight, BA Swallow, Percival Vega Gull, Avro Avian in New Zealand and Australia

Next of Kin: (Aunt) Mrs Owen Gould, Hampton, Otago NZ

prev. Equipment Assistant, RNZAF, 21 Apr to 24 Nov 1941

Address in 1942: c/o New Zealand House, 415 The Strand, London

She arrived in the UK from Aukland on the 19 Feb 1942, quoting her address as c/o Dalgety & Co., Leadenhalll St, London

Postings: 1FPP, 15FPP, 12FPP, 6FPP

7 accidents, only 1 her fault:

- 19 Jun 1942, in a Hart; her approach was too slow and she made a heavy landing, damaging the engine mountings;

- 2 Mar 1943, she landed her Hurricane and hit an unmarked dip, causing the undercarriage leg to collapse;

- 18 Sep 1943, the cockpit cover of her Spitfire broke away during flight;

- 11 Mar 1944, another landing accident, this time in a Typhoon when the tail wheel retracted due to a hydraulic fault;

- 27 Sep 1944, when the starboard undercarriage collapsed in an Argus; this time a sunken drainage gulley was to blame, and

- 12 Feb 1945, her fourth undercarrriage landing-run collapse, this time the port wheel of a Beaufighter, and

- 11 Apr 1945, a precautionary frced landing in a Beaufighter when the port engine lost revs.

"A cheerful, hardworking pilot" "A good ferry pilot; always ready for any job allotted to her".

m. Feb 1946 Christopher Dalton Beaumont in Thornbury, Gloucestershire

d. 9 Jul 1977 - Nelson, NZ 

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip files):

M.--- *	2nd Officer	Richard Henry Blackmore
	b. 21 Sep 1896, Gillingham, Kent	2 Sep to 31 Oct 1940

Father: Richard Blackmore, Mother: Maud

2nd Lieut Essex Regiment, RFC Corporal in WWI

RAeC Certificate 8549 dated 9 Apr 1929, taken at De Havilland Flying School

Address in 1929: 21 Vale Court, Mallord St, Chelsea

 prev. student of electrical engineering; butcher

Sailed to Canada in May 1930

Address in 1931: 2147 Sherebroke, Montreal, Canada, described as a commercial air pilot, living with wife Olive Joy (m. 1928/9, an artist)

Olive sailed back to the UK from Canada in Sep 1931 and May 1932, Richard in Sep 1932

 Postings:

 Olive d. 1959 as a widow

* No ATA File

W.73 *	First Officer	Mrs Patricia Annette 'Ann' Blackwell
	b. 30 Mar 1913, Putney	24 Feb-42 to Dec-45

nee Noble

Father: Major Bertram W Noble OBE ("Messrs. B. W. Noble. Ltd. insurance and reinsurance brokers, of London and Paris"), mother Kate Elsie [Buckland]

m. 24 Oct 1935 in Knightsbridge, George Wilson Blackwell

  The Bystander

"They met at the International Marine Insurance Conference at Montreux in September 1933"

  (George moved to Canada, then the USA in October 1945 and became an American citizen.)

Postings: 6FPP, 4FPP

   Naomi Allen on the left, Ann 2nd right. 1942?

  Ann in a Typhoon [photos with thanks to Nicholas Thomas]

At least 4 Accidents, 1 her fault:

- 9 Aug 1942, a forced landing in Fairchild EV771, with a broken connecting rod

- 7 Nov 1942, in Hurricane I L1877, forced landing with low oil pressure and high oil temperature

- 20 Nov 1944, she failed to control a crosswind landing in Seafire III BF499, swung and damaged the port wing

- 20 Feb 1945, the tail wheel of Proctor III DX229 collapsed during landing

m. 1948 in Maidenhead, Hugh McLennan Kendall

d. Feb 1992 - Isle of Wight

M.828	First Officer [Seconded from RAF]	Thomas Howes Blake
	b. 16 Apr 1913, Isle of Wight	6 Jan 1943 to 15 April 1945

RAFM

MAMM

Address in 1943: Apes Down, Calbourne Rd, Newport,  Isle of Wight

prev. Legal Assistant, IoW Council; RAF 3 Apr 1941 - Dec 1942

Postings: 5FPP, 2FPP

 d. Apr 1996 - Isle of Wight

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file): 

M.768	First Officer	Ernest Lynton Blow
	b. 9 Dec 1906, Dunstable	9 Sep 1942 to Dec-44

1936

ATA

prev. F/O in  RAFVR 1939-41; Test Pilot for Airspeed

prev. exp. 3,843 hrs;

Owned:

- 1930 Avro 616 Avian IVM G-ABDP

- 1936 BA Swallow L25C Mk.2 G-AEKG

 "A keen and efficient pilot and a good officer"

d. 2003, USA

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.----	3rd Officer	Charles Blumenthal
		17 Feb 1942 to 19 Jul 1942

One accident, his fault:

- 31 May 1942, in Magister T9887. The aircraft swung on landing and the udercarriage collapsed. "Error of judgement on the part of the pupil pilot in attempting to land in a cross-wind, and subsequent failure to correct swing."

Contract Terminated 19 Jul 1942

Father: Sir John Francis Bodinnar J.P., The Old Palace, Chippenham, Wilts

[Sir John Francis Bodinnar (1880-1958) was a Company Director (of, among others, the West of England Bacon Company, Ltd) and Mayor of Calne from 1925-27. "On the site of the Old Palace stood the house in which King Alfred is traditionally said to have burnt the cakes."

The Old Palace was bought by the Town Council in 1942 for new offices; it is now the Chippenham Museum.]

Mother: Mabel Frost [Latham]. [d. 1948)

Ed. Malvern College

prev. "various, including fruit growing and engineering" - spent 1926-35 in Canada.

Address in 1940: 5 Alexandra Court, Wembley Pk, Middx

m. 1937 in Kensington, London, Sheila Frances Grace [George, d. 1979]

Next of kin: (wife) Sheila, c/o "Branksome", Old Woking Rd, Pyrford, Surrey

 Postings: 1FPP

Suspended for 2 days in Dec 1940 for infringement of flying regulations

2 accidents, 1 his fault:

- 6 Feb 1941, he hit a concrete block whilst taxying a Leopard Moth, having to avoid an approaching Hart

d. 3 Apr 1941 (age 35) (Died in ATA Service) - Hurricane Z3166 flew into a ploughed field at Gorse Lane, Tarleton, Lancs, in poor visibility.

He was held to blame for the accident, having persevered too long in bad weather. Douglas Fairweather was flying in the same area on the same day, and confirmed that the weather was so bad he had to curtail his own flight.

He had flown 98 hrs in delivering 105 aircraft for the ATA.

Buried in Maidenhead Cemetery, Sec. D. Row L. Grave 7

Sheila wrote to Gerard d'Erlanger: "May I send you my very sincere thanks for your flowers and sympathetic letter on the occasion of my husband's death.

Your kind remarks made me feel very proud of him and I am sure he would not have wished for higher commendation." 

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.849	Flt-Sgt / First Officer [Seconded from RAF]	John William 'Jack' Boilstone
	b. 28 Jun 1915, Stourbridge, Worcs	30 Jan 1943 to 9 Dec 1943

Father: Joseph Pearson Boilstone, a Farmer; mother: Dorothy May [Downing]

m. 1942 in Bromsgrove, Dorothy Margaret [Taylor, b. 1919]

prev. a Motor Tester; RAF from 5 Jul 1941, 10 OTU, Abingdon

prev. exp. 190 hrs on Stearman PT 17, Harvard, Vultee, Oxford, Whitley in UK and USA

Address in 1943: Hillingdon, Highfield Crescent, Blackheath, Birmingham

 Postings: 16FPP

 "A neat and steady pilot of good average ability who takes his work seriously and has the makings of a very good ferry pilot"

"He posseses a quick & keen personailty and his discipline has been exemplary"

One accident, his fault:

 d. 9 Dec 1943 in Beaufort II LZ146 which stalled on approach to Kirkbride, dived into the ground 1000ft west of the airfield and was destroyed. Ferry from 44 MU Edzell to 40 APU Melton Mowbray.

Buried St Kenelm's Churchyard, Romsley, Worcs

 "Constantly remembered by his wife, parents and all relatives"

Dorothy later (1951) m. Alfred J Newman and d. 2008

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.155 *	3rd Officer	Mrs Rosemary Leslie [or Lesley] Bonnett
	b. 1 Sep 1918, Bristol	21 Feb-44 to Sep-45

 née Bell

 father: Percy Harrison Bell (2nd Lt in WWI, who gained an RAeC Certificate No 5298, in October 1917) , mother Adele Helene [Gellatly, a midwife, d. 1967 in S. Africa]

Grew up in South Africa (1924 - Jan 1936)

prev. a Secretary, typist

m. early 1942 Flt-Lt Dorian Dick Bonnett DFC

  (39 Sqn RAF, d. 24 Oct 1942 in Lancaster I W4306, which crashed in England on return from a daylight raid on Milan)

 [ab initio trainee]

Postings: 15FPP, 7FPP

2 accidents, both her fault:

- 14 Oct 1944, when taxying on wet grass and in windy conditions, her Argus I EV792 collided with marker flags

- 9 Aug 1945, taxying in Andon I AX319, she struck a motor sweeper and the aircraft was damaged.

 Gained her Royal Aero Club Pilot's Certificate (No 20610) as part of the ATA's 'Wings' scheme on 3 Oct 1945

m. Oct 1946 in Surrey, Flight Captain Phillip Lambert Gibbs

  (also an ex-ATA pilot)

m. 1949 in Kensington, London, Richard C Towers

 Address in 1989: Garden Farm, Tufton, Haverfordwest

d. 25 Jan 1989

M.449 *	Commander	Maitland Walter Sabine Boucher
	b. 19 Dec 1888, Port Elizabeth SA	24 Jun 1941 to 11 Sep 1943

Capt Boucher R.N. in 1931

ATAM

Rear-Admiral Boucher from Jan-41

"Admiral Boucher had been one of the pioneers of the Fleet Air Arm having obtained his RAF wings in 1925. When he joined ATA he started like any other pilot in EFTS and worked his way up through the ATA School." Lettice Curtis

After a particularly bad landing whilst on the training course, he was 'carpeted' by his instructor Jimmy Weir. He apologised and then said "And may I say that in 20 years in the Navy, I have never had such an excellent and comprehensive ticking off."

O.C. ATA Northern Area, 1943

Returned to the Navy as a Commodore and was put on convoy duty; in December 1943 he commanded Convoy JW55B taking supplies to the USSR, which was the target of the German battleship Scharnhorst. Scharnhorst was intercepted and sunk by Royal Navy forces in the Battle of the North Cape.

d. Jun 1963  - Maidenhead

Father: Walter Kemp Bourne, mother Evelyn Frances

Ed. Royal Naval College

m. Barbara Frances 

prev. Lieut. in Royal Navy 1918-28; RAF F/O; Poultry Farmer, Commercial Flying. Ambulance Driver 1941

Address in 1941: Leighton Brow Lodge, Parkgate, Cheshire

Postings: 16FPP, 14FPP, 3FPP

1 accident, not his fault:

- 12 Mar 1943, forced landing in a Wellington after port engine oil pressure dropped.

"An experienced pilot, consistent and hard-working"

from May 1944, 2nd-in-command, No 14 FPP (Ringway)

d. 1 Nov 1967, Hove

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

m. 1921 (divorced, remarried 1934) Charlotte [Blair]

prev. a racing, joy-ride and test pilot

Address in 1940: Pawhuska, Osage, Oklahoma

ATA Contract Terminated 2 Oct 1940

The ATA's Administration Officer wrote to him: "You called here yesterday afternoon with a Medical Certificate to the effect that you were unfit for duty and I instructed you to take it to the Chief Instructor and collect my letter, which you did not do.

As a result of this failure to obey instructions in addition to the complaints about you referred to in my letter, the Minister of Aircraft Production has decided that you are unsuitable for the duty for which you were brought to this country"

d. 23 Apr 1944 - Kansas City, MO

Buried Pawhuska City Cemetery

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M----	Cadet	Frederick George Bowles
	b. 26 Mar 1912, Newcastle on Tyne	16 Sep 1942 to Dec-42

1938

ATA

prev. an engineering draughtsman

d. 6 Dec 1942 (Died in ATA Service) - Magister L8233 spun in near Letchworth, Herts 1.5m SSW of Baldock.

Marked as a red spot on this map::

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.120	3rd Officer	Mrs Barbara Petronella Bowyer
	b. 19 Sep 1917, Johannesburg SA	14 Jun 1943 to 31 Oct 1945

nee Reid 

Ed. Rosedean, S Africa, and Witwatersrand University

m. Jan 1943 in Chelsea, Sub-Lt Alan James Bowyer, an artist who served with the Royal Navy throughout the war

   this is one of his many paintings, "Squally Weather in the Channel" 

Address in 1943: 2 Manor Court, Hemus Court, London SW3

 Next-of kin changed from her husband to Mrs M Rivett-Carmac, Walnut Tree Cottage, 1 St Johns Rd, Wimbledon, then to (sister-in-law) Mrs Spreadbury, Battersea

Off sick from 7 to 23 Jan 1944 with influenza

2 accidents, neither her fault:

- 31 Jan 1944, a forced landing in a Swordfish after loss of oil pressure

- 20 Jun 1944, the rudder of her Argus was struck in mid-air by an Anson; in the subsequent forced landing the Argus turned over onto its back.

She changed her name to Cripps 27 Jan 1945:

and then when Alan Bowyer married Gladys [Brown] in October 1946, she married Mr Cripps:

m. Dec 1946 in Hendon, Derek Arthur Rivers Cripps, also an ex-ATA pilot

One child, Susan, b. Jul 1947

poss m.  Jul 1957 in Middlesex, Robert G Ostler

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip files):

Father: George T Boyd, Mother: Mary Clara

Ed. High School, Blue Springs, AL

prev. Aviation Machinist; US Navy pilot from 1930 to 1940

Arrived in Liverpool on 20 Nov 1940, having sailed from Montreal, with fellow ATA pilot William Gregg

Postings: 8FPP, 2FPP, 14FPP

Class V (4-engine) pilot

Suspended for a week in 1941 due to "Breach of regulations relating to collection of aircraft", and

Suspended for another day and fined $20 due to going AWOL

4 accidents, none deemed his fault:

- 1 Feb 1941, the wheels of his Blenheim stuck in an unmarked soft patch

- 28 Jan 1942, on landing his Beaufort AW345 on slippery ground at Kemble, the brakes failed to grip "owing to [the] bad state of Kemble aerodrome for delivery of Beaufort aircraft"

- 10 Apr 1942, whilst taxying his Beaufighter I X7825 at Sealand, the tail wheel fell into a small unmarked excavation

- 14 Oct 1942, forced landing after the starboard engine of his Beaufighter VIc T5265 failed on take off, possibly due to the engine running for a long period on the ground

"Continues to be a most valuable member of this Pool, both as regards his flying qualities and his conduct."

Transferred to RAF Ferry Command

Casey's Draft Card, dated 26 Jul 1943

Later flew 'The Hump with CNAC - see CNAC Captian Casey T. Boyd

 d. 24 Nov 1970 - Clayton, Alabama

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.776 *	First Officer	Edwin Arthur Boyes
	b. 17 Feb 1908, Bramley, Leeds	15 Jul 1942 to 30 Nov 1945

Address in 1939: 123 Ring Road, Farnley, Leeds

prev. A Woollen Manufacturer

1935 (Flight)

Brief Glory

ATAM

Ed: Bletchley Grammar School, then Manitoba University

1914-16 3rd Canadian Mounted Rifles;

1916-1930 1st Lieut., Canadian Machine Gun Corps;

 prev. an aviation journalist, on the staff of 'The Aeroplane'; had flown about 110 types of aeroplane

Seconded to AtFero 20 Mar 1941

d. 10 Aug 1941 (Died in ATA Service) - Liberator AM261 crashed into Goat Fell mountain on Isle of Arran after take off from Heathfield, Ayr (22 killed - 5 crew and 17 travelling as passengers) 

9 of the victims were Canadian, 5 British, 7 American, and one was an Australian.

11 of the victims were pilots: Josiah James Anderson (Can), Daniel J Duggan (US), Watt Miller King (US), George Thomas Harris (US), Hoyt Ralph Judy (US), John James Roulstone (US), Harold Clifford Wesley Smith (Can), Jack Wixen (US), Capt. Ernest R. B. White (BOAC, ex-Imperial Airways), F. D. Bradbrooke, and John Evan Price (Aus).

10 radio operators, including Albert Alexander Oliver, George Herbert Powell and Herbert David Rees from BOAC, and one Flight Engineer, Ernest George Reeves (US), also lost their lives.

Flight said: "Canada shares with Great Britain the loss of Capt. F. D. Bradbrooke, who, although born in Worcestershire, has spent many years in Canada, where he learned to fly in 1928. Several years ago he came to this country to join the staff of The Aeroplane, of which he became assistant editor. He left that post to become editor of a little journal called The Aero Pilot. On its formation he joined the Air Transport Auxiliary and ferried aircraft from factories to service units, and finally he joined Atfero. He was a very experienced pilot"

"To say only that aeronautical journalism had lost one of its most important figures in the Atfero accident would be very much understating the case. Capt. F. D. Bradbrooke was much more than an aeronautical journalist. He was one of those amateur pilots who had helped to make private flying in this country, and was, at the same time, an "amateur technician " of no mean importance. He had a finger in every pie remotely connected with his primary interest and hobby, and was by way of being a humorist in his own inimitable way.

"Brad" was one of the most enthusiastic persons anyone could possibly meet, and his enthusiasm was catching. As a member of the staff of The Aeroplane he was an unstinting supporter of everything which he felt to be a "good thing," and a somewhat vitriolic opponent of anything which he felt to be useless or silly. When, for instance, the tricycle undercarriage was considered merely as a peculiar kind of throwback, " Brad " was vigorous in his praise, and I was with him when he flew the first tricycle type to appear in this country. The machine in question was a " safety-first " type, and until "Brad" started to expatiate (with his usual lack of professional "tightness"), I had been interested only in the slots and things with which the machine was fitted. It was Bradbrooke, in fact, who helped to make this country "tricycle conscious."

And that was only one of the many ideas which he had sponsored. What was more important is that he was prepared to put his enthusiasm into vigorous practice. In the course of his investigations he would fly almost anything anywhere. And I must say that in his search for truth (of the aeronautical kind) he risked his neck in one or two very queer contraptions so that he could at least give the designer an absolutely fair opinion—in print or otherwise.

At the beginning of this war he was one of the founders of Air Transport Auxiliary, and here again his enthusiasm was terrific. Later, when the Atlantic ferrying business started, he was one of the first to volunteer for the work, and was thereafter - until he started on the work itself - to be seen, so to speak, with a sextant in one hand and a textbook on astronomical navigation in the other. At odd moments he would hoist the sextant to his eye and compute his position—though he knew perfectly well where he was.

When there is peace and civil flying returns we shall miss "Brad", a very great deal. All this war-flying was only for him an interlude preparatory to returning to his greatest interest - civil flying. The only kind of flying which is really worth anything in the long run. Yes, we shall certainly miss him."

A memorial service was held each year on the anniversary of the crash at Lamlash Cemetery, Island of Arran.

ATA's insurance policy paid out £5,000 to his widow Joan, and £2,000 each to the families of the 3 radio operators.

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

Address in 1941: Empshott Lodge, Liss, Hants

Postings: 5FPP, 12FPP

 4-engine (Class 5) pilot

5 accidents, 2 her fault:

- 9 Jan 1941, when the rear cockpit cover of her Master fell off, damaging the tail;

- 26 Jun 1942, forced landing in an Airacobra;

- 13 Dec 1942, she failed to control the take-off swing of a Hudson;

- 30 Apr 1943, her Spitfire's port wing touched the ground on a difficult crosswind landing, and

- 11 Jul 1944, forced landing in an Anson.

A good natural pilot" "A capable pilot who is keen and quietly confident"

"Has proved to be a good second in command and was acting C.O. for 2 months with credit"

m. 1941 Cmdr Peter Hugh Bragg, RAF Boscombe Down

d. 1984

See her biography here - Felicity Bragg – solentaviatrix (wordpress.com)

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.204	First Officer	Philip Penrose Bradley
	b. 25 Jul 1905, Nottingham	1 Jan 1941 to Oct-45

1928

ATA

ATA

Ed. Bradfield College, Leeds; Lausanne and Zurich Universities. B.Sc.

a Company Director

Sgt pilot instructor in RAF; discharge on medical grounds, Nov-40

prev. exp. 2,398 hrs

[Resigned Aug-43, re-instated Apr-44]

"Reliable pilot and good officer when on duty. General behaviour off duty suspect owing to several police visits on private matters" 

Hmmm... wonder why the police kept visiting... perhaps because he was (still) a terrible car driver...

Nottingham Evening Post - Tuesday 16 March 1937:

"CITY MOTORIST FINED £10

PENALTY BY WILTSHIRE BENCH

CAUSED TROUBLE TO POLICE

CONDUCT DESCRIBED AS VERY SLACK

Salisbury magistrates yesterday imposed fines amounting to £10 upon Mr. Philip Penrose Bradley, company director, giving an address in The Park, Nottingham, who surrendered to bail charged with five offences under the Road Traffic Act. When the cases were first before the Bench defendant did not appear, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. It was then discovered that he was in a nursing home, and the case was adjourned, bail being extended.

The charges were that he drove a motor car without having in force a policy of insurance; that he failed to produce a certificate of insurance; that he drove without a licence; that he failed to produce his licence, and that he, having been prosecuted for exceeding the speed limit, failed to produce his driving licence to the Clerk of the Court prior to the hearing of the summons.

At the hearing yesterday the Chief Constable (Mr. F. Nixon) said he was now satisfied that the defendant held a driving licence and that he had in force a policy of insurance at the time that the offence was committed, and he therefore asked that those summonses be withdrawn. This was agreed to, and defendant pleaded guilty to the remaining, summonses. Mr. Nixon said when defendant was stopped by the police he promised to produce his policy of insurance and driving licence within five days to the Nottingham Guildhall. This he failed to do. The Nottingham police made several unsuccessful efforts to interview him, and it was only few days ago that the insurance policy was produced. In January summons was sent to defendant for a speeding offence, and with it was enclosed a printed slip instructing him to send his licence to the magistrates' clerk the day before the hearing. On the day of the hearing defendant telephoned to say that he could not attend court, and that he put his licence in an envelope ready to post, but he had forgotten to send it. On January llth he was fined in that court for exceeding the speed limit, and an endorsement of his licence was ordered. He was instructed to produce his licence endorsement, but as no satisfaction could be obtained, further proceedings were instituted."

Tamworth Herald, Saturday 13 August 1938: "A collision happened at the Bodnets cross-roads, Bonehill, on Saturday afternoon, between a motor lorry driven by Herbert Young. Prospect Street, Old Kent Road, London, S.E.I, and a motor car, the driver of which was Philip Penrose Bradley, Malvern Road, West Bridgford."

Derby Daily Telegraph - Saturday 31 August 1940:

"PATROL CAR INCIDENT

Pleading "Not guilty" to driving a motor-car without due care and attention on March 11, Philip Penrose Bradley, Burnaston, was discharged. He was fined 5s. for failing to produce his driving licence and a similar amount for failing to produce his certificate of insurance. Inspector S. Bradwell said that a private car and police patrol car had to brake violently when Mr. Bradley suddenly stopped his car on the Nottingham road without warning. Mr. H. M. Clifford admitted that the only danger was caused by the speed of the patrol car."

 --------------

His daughter tells me that "My father deserted my mother in 1946. They had been married for just a few years, and I never had the opportunity to get to know him. His visits were infrequent and, like my mother, he eventually re-married and had more children.

During the 1960’s he served a prison sentence. He embezzled a large sum of money from 'Kennings'. He had worked for Kennings for a number of years and became a company director. It was during his term in prison that he became ill and had a stroke. He was given early release but was eventually diagnosed with lung cancer and he died in 1968 in Nottingham."

"He came from a well known Nottingham family, they were lace manufacturers and also had leather works both in Nottingham and abroad. My mother was Philip's second wife. He married his first wife, Lilian, in the early 1930’s and they had one son, John, who sadly died from polio at the age of approx. 2 years. My mother was introduced to Philip by her older sister and they married early 1940’s.

I do know that he had owned at least two planes of his own. The first one, I was told, was purchased with money his father had given to him to buy a factory in Holland….Philip obviously had other ideas! Unfortunately my father told numerous lies both to his family and especially to my mother. I attended his funeral in 1968 but had not seen him for several years. I believe his third and last marriage was a happy one."

---

He owned:

- a Leopard Moth,

- a 1929 Desoutter I, G-AAPK (bought in Dec 1937),

- a 1933 Comper Swift G-ACGL, registered to 'E Bradley' [presumably his father Ernest Frank Bradley], and

- a 1934 Miles M.2 Hawk, G-ACOC.

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

1927

ICCL

An aviation journalist (e.g. 'Flying Memories,' 1936) and a prolific and well-known artist, e.g. this from 1931:

and this, from 1936:

Address in 1941: Fivetrees, Wood Lane, Stanmore Middx

Postings; 1FPP, 6FPP

[Promoted to First Officer 29 Dec 1941, but demoted to 3rd Officer 21 June 1943 after being absent through injury following a forced landing in a Hurricane, from 27 Mar 1942 to 15 Nov 1942]

Jan-43: "After a long rest from flying owing to his accident this pilot failed to reach the necessary standard on his Class 2 refresher. He has bnow been checked out on Class 1 and after 3 months experience in this class should be given another trial."

By Dec-44 he had qualified for Class 2 and 3, and became "a good reliable and well behaved officer. His knowledge of the country and steady flying make him an excellent pilot."

d. 1950. Flight, 13 Apr: "It is with deep regret that Flight records the deaths, in an air accident at Boston last Friday, of Stanley Orton Bradshaw, pilot, and editorial contributor to The Aeroplane, and of his two passengers, E. J. Riding and N. C. Stoneham. Aged 47, Mr. Bradshaw had been a pilot since 1926 and, following wartime A.T.A. experience, had over 70 types of aircraft in his logbook. In addition, he was a noted aviation writer and painter of flying scenes. He had a happy way of transmitting his intense enthusiasm for aviation, particularly private flying, to all he met. Mr. Riding, also a writer, was an authority on aero-modelling and light aircraft. The third victim, Mr. Stoneham, was a member of the Redhill Flying Club."

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

Flew with Major J.C. Savage's 'Sky Writers' at Hendon in the 1920s - borrowed an aeroplane to write a certain lady's name in the sky. She, of course, later became his wife.

And, would you believe it, he was in charge of the 'Scandinavian Sky-Writing Expedition' in 1923-24.

King's Cup in 1931

M.694	First Officer	Laurent Frederick Ronald Brandt
	b. 8 Mar 1909, Widnes, Lancs	25 Nov 1941 to Nov-43

Ed. Leicester Technical College

His mother's maiden name was Minnie Gertrude Willis; she was, apparently, the 7th daughter of the co-founder of the firm Freeman Hardy and Willis. On his marriage certificate, he is named 'Laurent Willis Brandt'

"'ATROCIOUS ASSAULT' ON BOY OF 13 

LEICESTER MANAGER FINED 

BENCH SAYS THERE WAS NO EXCUSE

What was termed by the Chairman as 'an atrocious assault' by a 23-year old Leicester man on a 13-year old boy was described  at Leicester City Police Court to-day. 

Laurent Frederick Brandt, a manager, of Friar-lane, Leicester, was fined £5, with the alternative of 26 days' imprisonment, for an assault on Eric Weston, a schoolboy, of All Saints Road, Leicester.

John Haylock, of Southgate, said he saw the boy pass a stationary car in Friar-Lane. "Just as the boy passed Brandt Jumped out from behind the car and kicked him," said Haylock." For ten minutes the boy did not seem to be able to stand up, and he had to be taken to the Royal Infirmary." 

There seemed to the witness to be no reason whatever for the assault. "As I passed the car I said 'Are you letting a drop of wind out?' and then - the man jumped straight out and kicked me" declared the boy.

Brandt pleaded guilty, and said that the boy tampered with a sidelight on the car. Brandt 'raised his foot' to the boy because he was holding tools in both hands. 

Miss Denise Branson, of Friar-Lane Leicester, said that she saw the boy tampering with a sidelight on Brandt's car.

"This was a most vicious and unprovoked assault" said the Chairman. "You may not take the law into your own hands even if the boy had meddled with your car. The only doubt the magistrates have is whether they should send you to prison without the option of a fine." - Leicester Evening Mail - Tuesday 1 March 1932

"RECEIVING CHARGE DISMISSED

Laurent Fredk. Ronald Brandt, 24, electrician, pleaded not guilty to receiving a silver cigarette-case and a sovereign-case, knowing them to be stolen, from James Arthur Blackburn at Great Clacton.

Mr. Bowman, prosecuting, said Blackburn had pleaded guilty to the theft. The property was taken from the house of Mr. David Jacobs while he was on holiday. Brandt said Blackburn gave him the articles a few days after he met him. He sold the case to buy something for a friend in hospital. Brandt was found not guilty and discharged, and Blackburn was sent to Borstal institution for three years." -Chelmsford Chronicle - Friday 26 May 1933

"'PLANE CRASH IN FIELD

Civil Air Guard Injured

Mr. Laurent Frederick Ronald Brandt. aged 30, a member of the Civil Air Guard. crashed at Harmondsworth on Sunday afternoon when flying an Avro Club Cadet two-seater. Mr. Brandt. who lives at Eastcote. was detained in Hounslow Hospital suffering from broken ribs and jaw, with several teeth knocked out. The plane was almost completely wrecked. A passenger in the plane, Mr. Mervyn Basden of Slough, was taken to Windsor Hospital with facial injuries. The crash was in Mr. Philp's field opposite the Technicolor building." - Uxbridge & W. Drayton Gazette - Friday 28 April 1939

 m. 1935 Elsie Esme Florence [Fox], (separated)

prev. a radio engineer; Assistant Tester, (Control Room) Generating Station, LPTB

prev. exp. 150 hrs

Applied to join the RAF in Sep 1938 but was unable to join due to "unforeseen domestic circumstances", and again in May 1940 but was unable to obtain his release from his employers.

Postings: 8FPP, 3FPP, 6FPP, 1FPP

Two accidents, neither his fault:

- 8 May 1943, his Magister P2436 lost power after take-off, and he force-landed in a field without damage. He was a 2nd Officer, under training at Barton-le-Clay, at the time

- 3 Sept 1943, another engine failure, another forced landing, this time in a Hart (still under Training) (? - listed as J Brandt)

Appointed as an 'Approved Instructor' on 17 Apr 1943, but taken off instructional duties on 7 Sep 1943.

d. 25 Nov 1943 (Died in ATA Service) Beaufighter X LZ536 dived into ground out of cloud at Cronton Mapley Lancs, nr Burtonwood 8m E of Liverpool

The accident report says, "When accepting this aircraft at a handling Pool, the pilot failed to reveal that he had not flown the type before, did not obtain and read the Handling Notes on the type, failed to obtain a meteorological forecast, and continued too far in bad weather. The aircraft spun out of cumulo-nimbus cloud, crashed, caught fire and was destroyed."

Laurent had changed his next-of-kin from Esme, his wife, to his mother Minnie, but Minnie declined the offer of the £2,500 compensation from the ATA and it went instead to Esme.

His final estate, however, was only £288 (and funerals cost about 30 guineas in 1943, so it wasn't that)

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.1105	3rd Officer (Seconded from RAF)	Ronald David Henry Brasher
	b. 3 Oct 1922, Yorkshire	20 Jun 1944 to Apr-45

prev. RAF, and an Engineer's clerk

d. 1986, Derbyshire

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

? ATAM

Next of kin: sister, Sylvia M Bray, 2 Paterson St, Launceston, Tasmania

Prev. exp. 420 hrs

Tom was one of a number of Australians who came over to fly for the Yorkshire Aeroplane Club, but when all civilian flying was stopped on the outbreak of WWII in October 1939, he applied to join the ATA.

They rejected him on the basis of his flight test, but then contacted him again the following July and asked if he would like to be reconsidered; he replied that, in the meantime, he had taken a job with the Rapide Flight of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, but would indeed like to re-apply.

His next flight test in August 1940 assessed him as: “A pilot of limited experience, who has ability and may prove adaptable to modern aircraft, of which he has no experience.”

Thomas then started with the ATA and worked well for about a year at Hawarden, but then resigned as the situation in the Far East deteriorated and he became worried about things at home.

d. 18 Mar 1942 (Died in ATA Service) – his Hampden X3130 went missing after taking off from Kirkbride at about 15:00, heading for Thorney Island. He and 2nd Officer Nathaniel Berry (joined 1941) were presumed lost at noon the following day when no sign had been seen of them.

His body was eventually washed up on the shore at Southport, on the 8th June 1942. Cause of death could not be determined. He was buried at  Maidenhead Cemetery on the 13th:

 "Sadly Missed"

As sometimes sadly happened, a final letter from home arrived after his death. It is dated 5 Feb 1942:

“Thursday morning thought I could pen you a few lines while I am waiting for my fruit and vegetable to come in.

Received money last Friday £24 18s 6d don’t know if that was right I haven’t had any letter to say how much you were sending. The last letter received from you was dated back to sometime in Aug and it arrived the first week in Dec. You said in that you would make arrangement and let me know later when and how much. Anyway thanks very much it arrived just in the nick of time. I ran myself a bit short last month paying £25 for wireless and I gave Stan £20, I had to pay £50 for vegetables for the Military for Feb. so you can guess I was just about on the rocks.

Well Tom the war gets closer every day. This is Monday the 9th and the paper says Japs are landing in Singapore. Mum seems to worry about it she is so helpless, and there all day on her own. She seems a lot better than she was last time I wrote, but said she felt crook this morning when she got out of bed.

Our petrol has been cut again so I don’t get out weekends at all, though we did run up to Mabel’s for a few hours yesterday. We have to black out the car lights and everything. What I can see we are going to have a cold black winter. The weather is terribly dry, and vegetables are very dear. But that is all the better for me, can always sell more when it is a good price.

Auntie A had a long letter from Bett. She is doing canteen work three days a week, and said she hadn’t heard any more of you but would write you in a few days. Edward is away a lot at night. Your letter must be hung up somewhere. I wonder if you are getting mine this is the third time since Xmas. We received greeting and it did your mother a lot of good.

Well Tom Rita, Dorothy and myself had a day at the Launceston Cup. Had quite a good day and it cost us 1 shilling for expenses, but it was a very poor meeting, no Melbourne horses, and very poor div’s. I wasn’t game to take my car, as they were checking up on all the cars registered for business, they are not allowed on pleasure trips, and for the first time I realised how hard it will be if I can’t get petrol.

Stan started on his new house this morning. He has two boys at work and they are going to school at night. So he should be alright now.

Business is going well so far, so I suppose I am lucky. There are quite a few shops closing up.

Well Tom it is time I did a bit of work. I have a boy and girl in the shop, they are only 14 years but they do a very good job.

That must be all for now so cheerio and heaps of love from Mum and Syl.”

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Naturalised American 1934

Address in 1940: 37-20 76th St, Jackson Heights, Long Island NY

ATA Contract Terminated - Inefficiency

"Herewith, I forward Flight Test Reports on the five American pilots, who reported on the 22 August. From these, you will see that only two are in the class of pilot we require.

Passed: Ortman, Phillips

Failed: Breen, McCory, Wickford"

d. 18 Dec 1969 - Denton, TX 

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 prev. aircraft engineer

RAF 1939-40

Accidents Committee from Oct-44

d. 2011, Bideford

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Lettice, Jennie, Audrey, Gaby, Pauline, near Oxford

RAeC 1935

ATA

RAeC 1948

Father: Charles Cecil Broad (a farmer and inventor, m. 1939 Daisy [Bigglestone], d. Nov 1941), mother Dorothy

The family moved to Sussex in Jan 1922, when Jennie was 9

Ed. Bournemouth High School

Flight, April 1937:   "The chief attraction of the weekend was a demonstration of the Hillson Praga monoplane by Miss Jennie Broad. After she had put the machine through its paces, numerous members took the opportunity offered of going up with her in the machine."

According to the Blue Mountains Advertiser (Katoomba, NSW), Fri 18 Nov 1949: “Miss Jennie Broad first graduated as a pilot in 1934, and to add to her experience qualified as a ground engineer. By this she helped to meet her flying instruction expenses in overhauling engines for airline companies and working as a club engineer. She had many jobs in aviation, including flying passengers to air rallies in Holland and Belgium and demonstrating and selling light aircraft. Through the experience she gained in this field, she became England's first woman test pilot."

prev. Ground Engineer, W.A.A.F, (transport driver, then Assistant Section Officer, code and cypher).

prev. exp. 250hrs on Whitney Straight, Miles Hawk & Falcon, DH Moth & Puss Moth, Hillson Praga, Avian in Hololand, France and Belgium as well as UK.

Address in 1940: Hillside, Tongdean Rd, Hove, Sussex

Postings: 5FPP, 15FPP

Class 3 pilot

Off sick from 19 Mar to 1 Apr 1941 with 'Pyrexial Debility'; 25 Jul to 9 Aug 1941 with 'Neuralgia & septic throat'; 25 Sep to 19 Oct 1941 with 'Pharyngitis' and 9 Feb to 6 Mar 1942 with 'Psychasthenis'

Contract terminated by ATA

(twice, actually - firstly on 5 Mar 1942, reinstated 23 Nov 1942, then 11 Jun 1943, on Medical Grounds)

4 accidents, 3 her fault:

- 8 Dec 1941, her Dominie X7449 nosed over, for reasons unknown

- 15 Dec 1942, a heavy landing in Spitfire Vc JG716 caused the port undercarriage leg to collapse

- 27 Mar 1943, she collided with a distributor trolley being towed by a tractor [Reprimanded]

- 21 May 1943, taking off in long grass, for some reason she thought the undercarriage of her Barracuda P9787 was "collapsing", so she selected 'Undercarriage Up'. "No fault found"

 "A keen and intelligent pilot of good average ability"

"She then joined a welfare organisation for the Royal Air Force and after a few weeks' training in Germany went to the Middle East, where she operated clubs on R.A.F. desert stations in Egypt and Iraq.”

After WWII, Jennie moved to Australia 'as a refugee from British bureaucracy' (reportedly saying "Australia is the only country in which to live these days"), and in 1951 joined the WRAAF as a 'Flight Officer, Administrative'.

By then, she had made her political views perfectly clear; she didn't like that there Socialism:

"In August 1948, I returned to England." she said. "When I had left, the country had had five years of the toughest time. They had had all the horrors of the blitz bombs, the doodlebugs and so on. But I had returned expecting to find my country free of some of the rules and directions of war. When I left the people had a tremendous hope for the future and were proud of the part their country had played. I spent two of the unhappiest months of my life there. Gone was the spring in the step of the people. They were tired and content to accept the rules that had been laid down for them. The queues were longer than ever. The people were living mainly on whale meat and fish. We got one egg every six weeks.

I could not understand it at all. But slowly it came to me. It was in 1945 that the Socialists took over. They came with the old Labour Party understanding on the part of the people. But it was not long before Mr. Attlee had nationalised everything he could lay hands on. Taxes were on such a scale that the worker found it paid him better to stay away from work at regular intervals. A large number of girls in the Post Office admitted that they had deliberately lost a day a fortnight because it paid them better to do so.

In 1947, we introduced the 'Engagement Order.’ In 1735 compulsory labour was abolished in England but it rested with a Labour Party to re-introduce it.

To-day there are at least three men who are serving terms of imprisonment because they refused to accept the work that was offered to them. Refusal to take the job offered means imprisonment. You see the people are gradually again being enslaved. In England, owing to the nearness of war, we had gone further along the road to compulsion in everything and Labour was presented with an already working scheme for the carrying out of their policy. In that regard the Labour Party in Britain was in a better position than was the case in Australia. We have our identity cards. If I move from town in town I have to register and re-register. When I return to England if I go abroad I have to register again. I decided to leave.it. We had won the war but lost our freedom. Nobody is allowed to follow his own will. If he works overtime, he is summoned and fined. In Australia they had been in danger of going along the same path but they had recovered in time and realised what it meant”

The Biz (Fairfield, NSW), Thu 15 Jun 1950:  "MEET JENNIE BROAD Fairfield residents have noticed an attractive young woman chatting with women in the shopping centre. It was Miss Jennie Broad, one of those courageous women who was a test pilot in Britain during the war. Charming and feminine, Jennie Broad has proved herself courageous during the war; and no less now is she displaying courage of a high degree.

Knowing the pitfalls of socialism in Great Britain, and the hardships it has brought upon the people who should now be enjoying a measure of relief from wartime restrictions, Jennie Broad came to Fairfield, when she heard 'a woman was standing for Parliament to oppose Socialism'. Although Miss Broad belongs to no political party, she says that she has seen the ill-effects of Socialism on family life, and she felt it her duty to come to Fairfield, meet the family people, and warn them to shake Socialism from their backs before it is too late.' Miss Broad speaks from personal experience, and she says she will address any gathering of women who, want to know the facts about Socialism and how it affects working people."

Mary Elllis wote: "I did hear that Jennie had married a Frank Roche of Bush Pilot Airways in Cairns, Australia and that in 1954 they both flew a Dragon Rapide from England to Australia. The aircraft was to be fitted out as a special flying ambulance to help those in need in the rural parts of South Australia. Frank Roche was killed the following year in a crop-spraying accident and Jennie, then a widow, moved away."

d. 30 Jun 2005 on Norfolk Island, Australia

"Jennie Broad 28 Jun 1912 to 30 Jun 2005. Pilot, Air Transport Auxiliary"

Di Ennew kindly tells me that "I spent 2 years on Norfolk Island, a small Australian territory (pop.approx.1600) about 1800km east of Australia in the Pacific Ocean. We bought a house there and by strange coincidence Jennie Broad, one of your ATA pilots, was my direct neighbour.

She was quite reclusive and in the 6 years she was my neighbour prior to her death, we did not meet nor talk, as when offered the opportunity to meet by the seller of our house, she very promptly refused the invitation. She was well known on the island for her directness and it was wonderful to read about her. I knew she had had an amazing life in the ATA and I only wish she had been able to meet my father to share their experiences of England."

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W.---	Cadet	Joan Irwin Broadsmith
	b. 23 Jul 1917, Withington Chester	24 Jun 1942 to 23 Aug 1942

Ed. Upper Chine School, Shanklin, IOW

prev: Ambulance Driver in Islington Green

prev exp: 30hrs solo

Her father, Harry Edgar Broadsmith (d. 1959 in Australia), was one of the original directors of Saunders-Roe.

"Adam Karolyi, right, with his girlfriend, Joan Broadsmith, in the cockpit of his plane. Adam was 21 when he died of his injuries after he crashed his plane in Sandown, just days before the Second World War started [actually G-AAAL belonging to the IOW Flying Club, on the 21 Aug, 1939]. He had planned to join the RAF."

[G-ABBX, in the photo above, also belonged to the Isle of Wight Flying Club].

Adam, 21, was flung from the wreckage but suffered 75 per cent burns and died in Shanklin Cottage Hospital the next day.

"His girlfriend, Joan Broadsmith, daughter of Saunders Roe’s managing director Harry Broadsmith, was so traumatised by Adam’s death she doused herself in paraffin and set herself alight but survived. "

See their story here:  http://www.iwcp.co.uk/

In 1939,  "Interested in aeroplanes since she was 14, and with a Flying Officer brother in the R.A.F., Empire Air Day is bound to hold a special interest for Miss Joan Broadsmith, of Cowes, who is working at Lee Airport, Sandown, to secure her ground engineer's licence. Miss Broadsmith, who is 21, is a member of the Civil Air Guard." Portsmouth Evening News, 18 May 1939

Address in 1942: 18 The Boulders, Binstead, Isle of Wight.

[Contract Terminated by ATA]

1961, in the Court of Appeal:  "Joan Irwin Broadsmith (Spinster) v Dora Helen Mary McCubbin (Widow):

Lord Justice Sellers: "Miss Broadsmith, the court has heard your submission and we have had the judgment of the learned judge read to us. Having given the best consideration we can to all that you have said, we see no reason to think that the learned judge was wrong. His judgment appears to us to be right and unimpeachable, and your appeal must be dismissed."

d. Feb 1993, IOW

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M.892	2nd Officer (Seconded from RAF)	Thomas Bromley
	b. 10 Oct 1922, Wigan	18 Mar 1943 to Apr-45

prev. RAF, from Feb-1942, and an Analytical Chemist

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prev. a Clerk in West Riding Surveyors Dept., Yorks

RAF Sep-39 to OCt-40, LAC/Sgt.

d. 26 Jun 1942 - died in a motor accident at East Ardsley, nr Wakefield when returning home to visit his mother on weekend leave.

Albert Ronald Humphreys (27), a laboratory assistant, of The Avenue, Ledger Lane, Outwood, near Wakefield, was charged with Clarence's manslaughter, but a plea of dangerous driving was accepted.

At 11 o'clock at night at Ramper's Bend on the Wakefield Road at East Ardsley, Humphreys took the corner at too great a speed. The car turned over and Brook, one of the passengers, was thrown out and killed.

The Judge imposed a fine of £5O and disqualified Humphreys from holding a driving licence for three years.

buried in Pontefract Cemetery

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M.---- *	2nd Officer	Harold Leslie Brook DCM
	b. 11 Oct 1897, Bradford	28 Oct 1940 to 3 May 1941

1933

1934

Father: John Wilson Brook, a manufacturer; Mother: Lilian [Charlesworth]

Sometimes used the surname 'Brooke'

At the age of 13 he, his parents and his elder sister Violet were 'boarders' at 17 Farcliffe Terrace, Bradford; the landlady was a Mrs Florence Wood.

"He joined the Royal Field Artillery on August 20, 1914, at the age of 16, obtained his commission soon afterwards, and, despite a couple of wounds, served five years in France and India." - Flight

RAeC Certificate 11595 dated 29 Oct 1933, taken at York County Aviation Club

Address in 1933: 6 Lancaster Park Rd, Harrogate, Yorks

"Restored to his family, he remained a normal civilian until Yorkshire began to build and fly sailplanes and gliders. These occupations kept him mildly diverted until the approach of his 37th birthday. Then he began to yearn for more horse-power. The York County Aviation Club at Sherburn-in-Elmet offered a likely fulfilment of this secret ambition. So, in August, 1933, Brook placed himself in the hands of Instructor Cudemore, and after four hours' instruction became a soloist with serious designs on the MacRobertson Handicap, for which Phillips and Powis have built him the first of their Miles 'Falcons'.

What happened between last autumn and this spring is now almost historic. Brook bought the "Puss Moth" G-ABXY (Heart's Content) in which the Mollisons had crossed the Atlantic, and, with a total of 43 hr. in his logbook, pushed off solo from Lympne to survey the route to Melbourne. That was on March 28, 1934, at 5.20 a.m.

By noon the incident had closed. Describing it a few days later Brook said that, while flying through very dirty weather over France, he was forced down from 12,000 ft. by ice formation on the wings, and, before he knew how or why, the side of an unsuspected mountain was rushing up at him out of the murk. Guided by some uncanny sixth sense, he brought off a bloodless landing on the mountain proper. The scene of this epic of the air was Genolhac, in the Cevennes. With some local help he salvaged the "Gipsy Major," brought it back to England, and has had it installed in Heart's Content II.

Brook's next attempt on the Australian record will not be solo. If expectations are realised, he will be accompanied by two lady passengers" - Flight

-------------- The 1934 MacRobertson Race ---------

He just scraped up the minimum 100 hrs solo flying time required to enter the 1934 England-Australia 'MacRobertson' Race, and ordered a newly-designed Miles M.3 Falcon from the Phillips and Powis factory.

G-ACTM was the first Falcon to fly, on 12 Oct 1934.

A month before the start of the race, however, it didn't have any seats, and was in "a very unfinished condition". Harold was not impressed by "those fools at Reading... this is not the first time they have omitted to do something".

The race started on the 20 Oct 1934; he and his passenger, Miss Ella Lay, made it all the way to Australia but he was disqualified for 'arriving too late'.

He then flew back from Australia in record time; you might like to see him talk about his record-breaking flight (on the other hand, you may have some drying paint that needs watching);

if so, click here: 

  Record Flight From Australia - British Pathé (britishpathe.com)

[He is described as 'an accountant - but see later...]

"Last Sunday afternoon, at 3.55 p.m., the original Miles "Falcon" landed at Lympne, having flown in 7 days 19 hr. 50 min. from Darwin, North Australia, with Mr. H. L. Brook, of Harrogate, at the controls.

The pilot thus beat the unofficial "solo" record of Mr. C. J. Melrose by 13 hr. 10 min., and the officially recognised performance of Mr. J. A. Mollison by 1 day 2 hr. 25 min. The shortest time for the Australia-England trip is still,of course, the 6 days 16 hr. 10 min. of Cathcart Jones and Waller in a "Comet".

After leaving Darwin at 5.30 a.m. on Sunday, March 24 (Australian time), Mr. Brook's time-table was as follows:-

Sunday night, arrived Rambang;

Monday, Penang;

Tuesday,Rangoon;

Wednesday, Calcutta;

Thursday, Karachi;

Friday,Athens;

Saturday, Rome;

Sunday, Marseilles (9.25 a.m.) ;

Lympne (3.55 p.m.).

The Timor crossing, he told a member of the staff of Flight, was "rotten", with rain, low clouds and heavy head winds. On the trip from Penang he landed on the delta near Calcutta. Over the Sundarbans low clouds and darkness caused him to take this measure rather than to fly on, possibly missing Calcutta, and, as he put it, perhaps making a crash landing through shortage of petrol.

Perhaps the worst section of the trip was that between Athens and Rome, particularly the portion over the channel of Corfu, where a gale was encountered.  At Brindisi Mr. Brook was advised not to proceed, but he pushed on and crossed the Apennines in a snowstorm.

And what of the man himself? He is a thirty-eight-year-old Yorkshireman, who, despite the newspaper stories, has never been an accountant in his life.

When he was younger he indulged in motor racing and later built a few sailplanes and gliders. Then he joined the York County Aviation Club and went solo after four hours' instruction. He next bought Mr. J. A. Mollison's "Puss Moth" Heart's Content, and set out for Australia to survey the route to Melbourne, for he had decided to enter the MacRobertson Handicap. But ice formation forced the "Puss Moth" down on a mountain side in the Cevennes. Neither Brook nor the "Major" (which, it should be remembered, had already been flown over the South Atlantic) was rendered hors de combat, however. The engine was salvaged and Brook brought it back to England, where it was installed in the first of the Miles "Falcons" which then was fitted with extra tanks for the race.

During the event it carried a lady passenger and a large helping of appalling luck (no connection is suggested between the two facts!) Suffice it to say that the Australian trip, a large portion of which was made in easy stages, took about twenty-six days.

During his stay "down under," Brook worked until the "Falcon" and its engine were in tip-top condition before starting his almost unheralded flight.

Of travelling in the "Falcon" he says that, compared with flying in an ordinary aeroplane with open cockpits, it was" like travelling in a saloon car instead of on a motor cycle". The veteran "Gipsy Major" was run throughout the flight at 2,100 r.p.m." - Flight

He briefly became a rather unlikely celebrity, endorsing products such as Terry's Springs:

"H. L. BROOK writes to TERRY'S

Dear Sirs,

I should like to take this opportunity of congratulating you on the excellence of your springs in my Gipsy 6 Engine. In a record-breaking flight of this description the engine has to be run for long periods in extreme temperatures, and at a higher rate of revolutions than normal, and for a valve spring to break would spell disaster. I had never at any time any fear of this happening with your springs, and they are now at the end of the flight in just as good condition as they were at the start.

Yours faithfully,

(signed) H. L BROOK."

-------------

In 1935 he tried to beat the England to the Cape record in his Falcon, but had a 'mild crash' while landing after dark at Mersa Matruh, about 260 miles E.N.E. of Cairo. He was uninjured.

m. 26 Mar 1936 in Harrogate, Madge Marion [Edwards]

  Yorkshire Post

He then owned G-ADZO, a 1935 Percival D.3 Gull Six which competed in the King's Cup for 1936, coming 7th out of 26 piloted by Roly Falk. Amy Johnson used it to break the England-Cape Town double journey record in 1936, and Harold himself broke the Cape Town to England record the following year.

It was scrapped in May 1938, after he made a forced landing on a sandbank in the Wash, after running out of fuel, on a flight from Skegness to Norwich:

"Harold, (who recently acquired a garage near Snitterfield, Warwickshire) said, "Just think, one does long-distance flights and nothing happens, and then over a place like the Wash a silly thing like this occurs". - Coventry Evening Telegraph - Friday 27 May 1938

Despite Harold saying that it was insured for £1200, its resulting value of £32 19s 7d was eventually divided between the 22 Lynn fishermen who salvaged it.

In 1936, he flew to Cape Town in his Hillson Praga G-ADXL (previously OK-PGC). Mercifully, there don't appear to be any interviews about this one. The aircraft was sold in South Africa and re-registered ZS-AHL, and in 1953 converted to a glider.

  (similar to this one)

prev. RAF Pilot Officer, Administrative and Special Duties Branch in May-October 1940. 

 Postings:

"NEWS from Southern Rhodesia reports the arrival there of Mr. Harold Leslie Brook, formerly of Lancaster Park Road, Harrogate, who became world famous in 1935 by breaking the record In a solo flight from Australia to England, and two years later broke the record created by the late Amy Johnson In a solo flight from Cape Town to England. 

"He has settled In Southern Rhodesia with his wife and three children", states the report. "He has bought a ranch of 12,000 acres in the Midlands where, in addition to raising cattle, he plans to grow a little tobacco and quite an acreage of sorghums."

Mr. Brook, who is 54, has been farming in South Devon for the past 10 years, and decided to settle in Southern Rhodesia because, to quote his own words, "my wife and I think our three children - there are two girls aged 12 and eight and a boy of six - will have a better future here than they would in England."

The flight of which Mr Brook was most proud was the one he made from England to Cape Town in 1936 to demonstrate the merits of ultra-light aeroplanes. It took 16 days 4½ hours in a baby 'plane fitted with a two cylinder motor cycle engine, the retail price of which then was only £385. It was designed for short trips of from 300 to 400 miles, but he covered the 8,600 miles at an average fuel consumption of 33 miles per gallon. When referring to the breaking of records on one occasion said: " I do not think they serve any useful purpose. It is really only a question of the machine. Fast machines will continue to clip hours off records."

Interesting to recall that he flew from London to Harrogate in 1937 with the news reels of the Coronation." - Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer - Monday 08 September 1952

 d. 1965 ?

* ATA file not seen

1935

Father: Thomas Edward Smith

Ed. Bedford School; Chelsea College of Aeronautical Engineering

prev. aircraft engineer - British & Continental Airways, Croydon from 1934; pilot for Air Despatch Ltd

Address in 1940: 31 Liverpool Rd, Chester

 Postings: 8FPP

Suspended for two days with loss of pay in Apr 1942, for "flying in bad weather against orders"

 2 accidents, one his fault:

- 1 Mar 1942, he stalled his Beaufighter during a crosswind landing and damaged the port wing

- 30 Apr 1942, after landing in a Boston, a tyre burst.

"above average. A very capable and experienced pilot"

later Chief test pilot for Short Bros. and Harland

"Mr Brooke-Smith is married and has two children, Simon and Selina. His principal hobby is shooting, and he also plays golf" 1951

d. 1991, Poole

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M.1117	3rd Officer (Seconded from RAF)	George Gilbert Brown
	b. 9 Feb 1922, Finedon, Wellingborough, Northants	20 Jun 1944 to Apr-45

prev. RAF, and an electric loco driver

d. Feb 2004, Coventry

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

 Possibly:

prev. RAF from 4 Mar 1918; Imperial Airways

 Postings:

* ATA File not seen

nee Holmes

Address in 1940: Woodland Rise, Seal, Sevenoaks, Kent

Next of kin: husband, Anthony Brown MC. [d. Dec 1954. He was English, 16 years older than her, described as a 'Managing Director of a Printing Company' [Brown, Knight and Truscott], and they met in South Africa in the 1920s. He was there on business, she ran a driving school, they married and travelled together from South Africa to England in March 1926.

They lived at 'Broomhill', Southend Rd, Beckenham, Kent, and had one son, Philip, b. 1930; he later became a commercial pilot, encouraged by Grace.]

 "Mrs. Grace Brown flew for Air Dispatch (Mrs Victor Bruce's airline)".

"Air Dispatch Ltd was founded on 9 July 1934, and in 1935 started operating weekend freight (later also passenger) services from its base at Croydon Airport to Le Touquet and Le Bourget, Paris. In April 1935, Commercial Air Hire started passenger shuttle services between Croydon and Heston airports, under the name Inner Circle Air Lines, using GAL Monospar ST-4s. In 1935, Commercial Air Hire purchased an Avro 642 Eighteen16-seat airliner (G-ACFV) for newspaper delivery contracts, and Air Dispatch shared its use for bullion-carrying, excursions, joy-riding flights and scheduled passenger services, until mid-1936. [Mildred] Bruce was co-managing director, with Eric E. Noddings, of both closely linked companies, that were merged in 1936 as Air Dispatch Ltd.  Wikipedia

 In 1935, she flew Redhill Aero Club's Puss Moth to Brussels.

 r, with Gabrielle Patterson, in 1940  (Forgotten Pilots)

She was an early recruit for the ATA in May 1940 (actually, she joined just as the evacuation of the BEF from Dunkirk was taking place) but soon had to discontinue ferrying due to "getting into a poor state of health and being unfit for flying duties" - a confidential note some two years later says that "between ourselves, a little elbow-lifting was attached to it"

She asked for 3 months unpaid leave, on the understanding that ATA could offer to continue with her services at the end of it.

In the event, when she started back in December, she wrecked the port undercarriage leg of an Airspeed Oxford by selecting 'Undercarriage Up' instead of 'Flaps Up' after landing, and was dismissed shortly afterwards.

[Contract Terminated by ATA 28 Dec 1940]

During WWII, "Mrs (Grace) Brown astonished RAF pilots when she landed at an advanced airfield in France during the German attack, carrying consignments of blood for the wounded." An Illustrated History of the RAF (BoB 50th anniversary edition) by Roy Conyers Nesbit.

Her grand-daughter kindly tells me that "She was actually the first woman to fly to the Front, flying blood to the British Expeditionary Force as it retreated to Dunkirk.  She was one of the first six female pilots to hold the 'B' Licence (Commercial) in the U.K.  She was also a huge character:-) 

After the war, I don't think she flew again.  She seemed to enjoy buzzing around the country lanes in the sidecar of  a motor bike, driven my by father.  When Anthony died they had huge death duties to pay so had to sell up and move to a small house, still in Sevenoaks. She died in 1956, I believe. "

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.1057	3rd Officer (Seconded from RAF)	James Waldron Brown
	b. 6 Aug 1918, Liverpool	23 May 1944 to Mar-45

prev. a draughtsman

RAF from May-41 to May-44

d. 20 Mar 1945 (Died in ATA Service) - passenger in Anson I DJ471 (pilot Frank Hill, also killed) which collided with a Typhoon at RAF Aston Down, Glos.

Both aircraft were approaching to land, but neither pilot could see the other; the Typhoon struck the Anson from behind and above.

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.876	First Officer [Seconded from RAF]	Kenneth William Brown
	b. 2 Jul 1920, Bulwell, Nottingham	28 Feb 1943 to Apr-45

prev. a teacher

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

Promoted to First Officer, 15 Feb 1942;

Demoted to 2nd Officer, 6 Mar 1942 [Dangerous Flying and taking off on an unauthorised flight]

"Hardworking and capable but not always reliable - now and again indulges in low or dangerous flying"

[Contract Terminated 23 Mar 1942 by ATA - Disciplinary Reasons]

d. c.17 Nov 1942; his China National Air Corporation C-47 went missing flying between China and India.

In October 1945, his mother wrote to the ATA:

"Dear Sir,

We have today received the log book of our son, James S Browne, who was in your service '41-2 as First Officer. He was first stationed at Maidenhead and later at Ratcliffe Hall, Leicester. Perhaps you did not know him personally, or may not have been at White Waltham at the time he was in service - but, in any case, I wanted to let you know that after he returned to the States April 1942, he was engaged by the Pan American & China National Aviation Corporation to transport supplies over the 'Hump' from India to China.

He flew a DC-3 to Calcutta shortly after his return from England and shortly after his arrival there, was made Captain of a C-47. As you may know that is the most treacherous flying in the world, and the weather conditions are very bad.

Jim has been missing since Nov 17, 1942. and no trace of him, the plane, or the crew. Almost three years have passed and, of course, we are offered no hope from the China { } - the anxiety has been terrible. He was 21 and our only child.

It does not help to know that millions of others are also suffering. This is our own personal sorrow.

I shall be so very glad if you will be good enough to let us know if you happened to know Jim, or did anyone else in your station - it would be a comfort to us to hear from any of his friends. It seems so unreal to us now, that year he spent in England, so long ago - but it was only in 1941. We had not entered the war at the time and Jim did not have to go, but was anxious to try out for that job. He was so very young.

Hoping to hear from you again, which we shall very much appreciate.

Sincerely, 

Harriet S Browne (Mrs Herbert S Browne)

653 Hill Road, Winnetka, Illinois"

The wreckage was not discovered until 2011, 13,400 feet up a mountain in China's Yunnan province.

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