W.159  3rd Officer Miss Marjorie 'June' Farquhar 
 flag england b. 28 Jul 1921, London  21 Feb-44 to Sep-45 

 marjorie farquhar 1945  RAeC 1945

   (r) with Edith Beaumont    

 

Rather: Capt. Arthur Farquhar, of Town Farm, Aldbury, nr Tring, Herts

Ed. "Private and Finishing Schools", Francis Holland (London) and Chateau Mont Choisi, Lausanne

  With the Hertfordshire Hunt in 1940

prev: VAD,; from Oct 1941 WAAF


(c) with Edith Beaumont and Lettice Curtis

 

One accident: 

- 26 Aug 1944, she was commended for a forced landing in Magister L8054 after engine failure

 

Gained her RAeC 'A' Certificate No 20491 as part of the ATA 'Wings' scheme on 3 Aug 1945

 Address in 1945: 49 Milverton Rd, London NW1


 Mrs Cole from 1946, as reported by the Bucks Herald on 14 June;

"MARRIAGE OF MAJOR C. B. COLE AND MISS M. J. FARQUHAR

The wedding took place between Major Charles Brian Cole and Miss Marjorie June Farquhar at the Church of St. John the Baptist, Aldbury, on Friday.

The bride, younger daughter of Captain and Mrs Farquhar, of Town Farm, Aldbury, was given away by her father. The reception was held at “Hawkwell”, a Tring residence owned by the bride’s parents, and which is at present largely occupied by farm workers of the H.W.A.C. About 275 guests were present, and refreshments were served under a marquee, set up on the lawns of the house, the sunshine on the day making possible the use of the lovely garden. After the cake was cut, the health of the bride and groom was proposed by Mr. E. J. Gilbert, an old friend of the family. The best man, Capt. Michael Charlesworth, R.A., answered the bridegroom’s toast on behalf of the bridesmaids.

Major and Mrs. Brian Cole later left by car for Marlow, where they spent the week end at the hotel where they first privately celebrated their engagement, five-and-a-half years ago.

On returning from their honeymoon, they will live in London, at least until the bridegroom leaves the War Office, where he is at present employed.

During the war the bride was in the W.A.A.F., doing radar work, but, later, became one of the twelve out of five thousand successful volunteer applicants for A.T.A. [I wonder where they got that from?]

As a ferry pilot she flew all types of fighter and torpedo planes all over the British Isles. Her father and mother, both Canadians, liked and stayed in England after the Great War, in which Capt. Farquhar served in the R.F.C. They first came to Ivinghoe 18 years ago for weekend riding, and it was then that Capt. Farquhar became known as the 'fairy godfather' for the pennies he distributed to the children who presented themselves with clean faces. He came to live in Aldbury about 10 years ago.

The bridegroom, third son of the late Mr. Charles Phillips Cole and Mrs. Cole, of Tring, was studying architecture with his father at the Berkhamsted office of Messrs, W. Brown and Co. when war broke out. He was then embodied with the Hertfordshire Regiment, and in 1941 he went to India, where, after attending Staff College, he served on the staff of an Indian Beach Group. He was mentioned in despatches, and at the cessation of hostilities with Japan was a Lt.-Col. on the Q. Staff of the 14th Army.

It will be remembered that in April, 1945, the elder sister of the bride was married at Tring to the oldest brother of the bridegroom, Mr. Richard Cole."

 

At an ATA Reunion c.2011

d. 13 Sep 2017

Her son kindly tells me that  "Whilst serving in the WAAF she was engaged then on secret work with radar, directing allied aircraft to targets deep in Germany. She always chuckled about leaving the WAAF to join the ATA. Apparently the only reason to be allowed to opt out was due to pregnancy, but my mother managed to wangle it (without pregnancy!) to join the ATA. I think her father's contacts helped pull strings, as he had been a Royal Naval Air Service Captain in the Great War.

 I have been looking at her Pilot Log Book, and give a summary of her flying service below. For the record it was signed off by EP Lane, Flt?Captain and Adjutant of No 1 Ferry Pool ATA.

Summary of Aircraft Flown between 28.3.44 to 21.9.45

Total hours 343.55

Aircraft

Dual

Pilot

Magister

32.20

72.05

Tiger Moth

1.40

25.00

Proctor

26.20

29.40

Harvard

11.15

18.55

Fairchild

4.50

75.45

Spitfire

 

14.35

Swordfish

 

5.30

Firefly

 

8.05

Martinet

 

2.45

Master

 

1.10

Seafire

 

.55

Hurricane

 

.30

Barracuda

 

3.00

Tempest

 

.55

Auster

 

9.40

 


 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):download grey

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