M.747	First Officer	Alec Warrington
	b. 19 Feb 1908, Cambridge	16 Apr 1942 to 30 Nov 1945

 Postings: 2FPP, 8FPP, 7FPP, 6FPP

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

1933

ATA

A Publicity Manager for Wakefield Oil (Castrol) in 1933

ATA Chief Test Pilot in 1945: "Captain Watson's work as Flying Technical Officer and subsequently Chief Test Pilot has been of the highest order. His enthusiasm for the job and continued cheerfulness have been an inspiration to all concerned."

d. 1994, Norwich 

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1928

Address in 1939: 11 Boyne Hill Ave, Maidenhead

prev. Engineer, Straight Corporation

Lieutenant-Commander in the RNVR

Ferry Pool: Hucknall

[Contract Terminated by ATA 30 Jun 1940 - Disciplinary Reasons] but re-instated

[Resigned]

d. 2 Jan 1944, in Oxford MP299 from HMS Godwit (the naval air station at Hinstock, Shropshire) which spun into the ground at The Wrekin. 

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.877	First Officer [Seconded from RAF]	Reginald Edward Watts
	b. 8 Jan 1918, London	28 Feb 43 to 15 Apr 1945

ATA

MAMM

 Ed. Battersea Grammar School

Inter(mediate?) BSc Maths

 prev. Aircraft Assistant Buyer

prev. exp 270hrs

m. 1941 in Hmmersmith Marguerite Victoria P [Parker, d. 2006]

Address in 1943: 3 Swindon House, Stanlake, London W12

Postings: 5TP, 2FPP

One accident, not his fault:

- 25 May 1944, when taxying his Spitfie, the airfield control van overtook him and then stopped in front of him. As he couldn't see over the nose, he collided with the van!

"An average pilot who is a keen worker and a likeable personality. Discipline good."

 d. 26 Jan 1990 - Hook, Hampshire

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.203	First Officer	Gerald Pole Welman
	b. 25 Aug 1911, Colchester Essex	3 Jan 1941 to 18 Jan 1942

Father: Col. Arthur Pole Welman of Wexford, Eire

Ed. Stoke House School; Bedford College

m. 1940 in Whitby, Margaret [Barringer]

Next of Kin (wife) Mrs M Welman, Woodburn, Ocean Rd, Whitby, Yorks. Later changed to (mother) Mrs Geraldine Mary [Brereton], 27 Wilesden Park, Stran Millis, Belfast

 prev. Mgf Chemist from 1936; RAF P/O 19 Aug 1939 - 25 Dec 1940 (Upwood, Hunts); "Intelligence"

prev. exp. 260 hrs on Blenheim, Battle, DH 82, Oxford, Heyford

 Postings: 1FPP, 3FPP, 4bFPP

"A good and very hard working pilot, but very sensitive"... "Proved an excellent instructor until his health failed"

 Contract Terminated by ATA - "Psychologically unfit for full ferry duties"

Post-ATA, a pilot for TACA Airways, the national airline of El Salvador.

m. 15 Sep 1944 in Florida, USA, Mary Allie  [Black] (b. 1921 in Georgia, USA) (one daughter, Susan Talmadge b. 22 May 1946 in Fort Lauderdale, FL)

Mary Black was a stewardess for TACA Airways

 They sailed together, from Trinidad to Florida, in Sep 1945

Emigrated to Georgia, USA.

Petition for Naturalization in 1950: He is described as a "Medical Representative"

m. 23 May 1953 in Vance, NC, Rebecca Virginia Holley [Sikes] (d. 2003)

m. 21 Nov 1961 in Amherts, NY, Joyce [Millington] (d. 1981)

m. Priscilla [Hammond]

d. 26 Dec 2004 - Erie Co., New York

"After emigrating to the United States, he worked as a sales representative for several companies before moving to Amherst in 1967 to take a job as district sales manager for the Weatherhead Co., [responsible for sales of fluid power components, hydraulic pumps, motors and valves]

A horseman in his younger years, he participated in fox hunts. His other interests included sailing, golf and skiing." - Buffalo News, 30 Dec 2004

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.486	First Officer	Eric John Burdick West
	b. 3 Sep 1902, Dover	10 Jun 1941 to 30 Sep 1945

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W.139	3rd Officer	Mrs Yvonne Wheatley
	b. 19 Sep 1921, Stratton, Glos	6 Sep 1943 to 30 Jun 1945

née Gough (Joy's sister, q.v.)

Father: Arthur Victor Gough, a professional footballer turned hairdresser, mother Doris Irene Alexandra (Herbert], of Victoria Rd, Cirencester, Glos

Ed. Cirencester Grammar School (School Certificate)

She was "captain of everything: tennis, field hockey, netball, swimming. And Joy and I played to win." - Jacky Hyams

Address in 1943: Grantchester, Willow Grove, Chislehurst, Kent

ab initio pilot

Postings: 12FPP

m.  Feb 1942 in Cirencester, Flt-Lt Arthur Thomas 'Tom' Wheatley RAF, (d. 2 Mar 1943 age 22 in Halifax DT556 which was shot down near Kasterlee, Belgium)

  Memorial erected in 2014

https://www.wingsmuseum.co.uk/our-work/aircrew-memorials/handley-page-halifax-ii-dt556-76-sqn-raf-kasterlee-belgium/

m. 1945 Neil MacDonald RCAF, originally from Scotland but brought up in the USA (d. 2001)

 1 Accident, her fault:

 - 10 Aug 1944 in Spitfire IX PT720, she approached too high, stalled onto the runway at High Ercall and damaged the starboard wing

She wrote "Some people, both sexes, didn’t make it. They dropped out. There’s a lot to flying. You need “the touch”. I think women were much better when it came to flying the Spitfires. Women have a lighter touch. They’re not as ham-fisted.’ - Jacky Hyams

 "They emigrated to Canada in 1946 where they lived for five years while Neil attended McGill University in Montreal. They raised their five children in Simsbury, CT (where she was well known for her tennis ability learned on the grass courts of England) while Neil worked for thirty five years for Cigna. They retired to Cape Cod, MA in 1980."

"After the ATA,  I never flew again"

d. 14 Sep 2014 - Dennis, Massachusetts

"Yvonne was also predeceased by her sons David Paul in 2006 and Robert Bruce in 2010 [both from cancer]. She is survived by her children Wendy Krom, Peter MacDonald and his companion Stacey Mehaffey, John MacDonald and his wife Susan, Rob's wife Barbara Jean MacDonald, grandchildren Matthew and his companion Janis Baxter and Jeffrey Krom, Jason and Samule MacDonald, Michael and wife Rachel ,Christopher and Kaitlin MacDonald and great grandchildren Heather and Justin Krom, and Yvonne's sister Joy Lofthouse of England. Yvonne lived a full and exciting life. She was honored in California in 2008 by Women in International Aviation and by the British Government in September of 2008 when the remaining pilots of the ATA were honored at 10 Downing Street in London." - Tributes.com

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

1933

ATAM

ATAM

 Father: Frank White, Mother: Elsie Mary [Geatches]

Ed. Mount Radford, Exeter

Airline pilot at Bristol Airport in 1933

m. 1936 Fanny Dieudonnee 'Donnee' [Vallance]

prev. exp. 350hrs

Address in 1939: 63 Coombe Lane, Westbury on Tryn, Bristol

One of the first 22 ATA pilots, who joined on the 11th September 1939.

Postings: 1FPP, 4FPP(as CO, later demoted), 4aFPP, 6FPP (as second-in-command), 14FPP

 He was relieved of his position as C.O. at Prestwick because (ATA Commanding Officer) Gerard d'Erlanger did not consider that Frank "exercised sufficient control over himself or his personnel".

Jan-43, from O.C. No 1 F.P.: "This pilot is a most valuable member of the Pool, who has performed all his duties - flying and administrative - with very great distinction. I have nothing but praise for him, and can recommend that he be considered for promotion if a suitable opening be forthcoming. I am at a loss to understand why he did not succeed when he was O.C. No 4 F.P. Such shortcomings as he exhibited at Prestwick seem to have been completely overcome."

 9 accidents, 1 his fault:

- 28 Mar 1940, his Spitfire P9422 nosed over during taxying, due to an unmarked soft patch in the runway

- 10 Feb 1941; forced landing in Hurricane I P3935 after an engine failure

- 1 Jun 1942, a forced landing in Spitfire EM590 after suffering excessive oil pressure

- 20 Jun 1942, the tail wheel of his Anson was damaged whilst taxying over rough ground

- 9 Dec 1942, part of the fabric of the starboard wing of his Whitley III detached in flight

- 11 May 1943, the tail wheel of his Wellington XH329 collapsed after a normal landing

- 13 Jul 1943, his Beaufort I struck a lorry and subsequently landed wheels up at the destination

- 1 Jul 1944, he could not lower the undercarriage of his Mustang I AG384 due to a stuck selector lever, and made a wheels-up landing

d. 7 Aug 1944 (Died in ATA Service) - Spitfire LFIX MJ413 stalled after take off and dived into ground at Ratcliffe.

"It is considered that the pilot took off in a hurried manner, started a steep climbing turn immediately after becoming airborne, and whilst in a vertical bank the aircraft stalled and crashed."

 Buried in Newton Abbott Cemetery:

 findagrave

His son tells me that "... the arrival of the telegram announcing his death is by far the clearest and most vivid memory of my childhood. My father had a few days leave, and so that he could see his parents as well as us, my mother had taken me to Newton Abbot. The telegram arrived when we we were at lunch. It was addressed to my mother, and she said “Oh, it’ll be from Ashton [as she called him] he said he’d let us know what train he’d be on”.... although I was only 6, I can remember that room in every detail, and where each of us was sitting, my grandparents, my mother and I."

[Frank's wife Dieudonnee had a son, Philip Frank Vallance White, on 2 Jan 1945. She married Bruce Anstey White, Frank's younger brother, in 1948]

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.174	Commander	Dr. Thomas Henry 'Neville' or 'Doc' Whitehurst OBE MRCS LRCP
	b. 27 May 1905, Sutton Coldfield	19 Nov 1940 to 31 Dec 1945

RAeC 1935

1943

Father: George Henry Whitehurst (Joint General Manager of the National Provincial Bank, d. 1933), mother Winifred May [Martin], of Chiltern, Northwood

Address in 1911: 13 Hollies Dr., Wednesbury, Staffs

Ed. Repton School, Derbyshire; Corpus Christi, Cambridge, St Batholomew's Hospital

MRCS (Eng) and LRCP (London) 1929

m. 14 Dec 1929 in Northwood, Jessie Constance Alexandra Ross [Macdonald]:

  The Tatler, 15 Jan 1930

They divorced in 1938

RAeC Certificate 12818, 26 May 1935 on DH Moth at Brooklands

Owned G-ADKS, a 1935 DH.87B Hornet Moth (which he bought for £750, new)

 He witnessed the first flight of the Hawker Hurricane at Brooklands, on 6 Nov 1935.

 prev. a physician at Weybridge Hospital (he was an anaesthetist in 1933, and manager of the X-Ray Department in 1935)

Address in 1930-35: 'Timewells', Oatlands Close, Weybridge, Surrey

m. 1939 Betty Gwendoline [Holley] (d. 2010; 1 daughter, Ann)

Address in 1940: Manby Lodge, Queens Rd, Weybridge, Surrey ("The hunting lodge of Lord Dudley")

He was involved in a court case in April 1941, when he gave evidence against John Dudley Cotter (25), of no fixed abode, a veterinary student who had obtained morphia from him and another doctor, saying he required it to perform veterinary operations.

"Dr. Neville Whitehurst told how Cotter, wearing R.A.S.C. uniform, came to see him and asked him for a grain of morphia and some material to perform an operation on a dog. Accused told him he was a veterinary surgeon, and witness found he possessed a sound knowledge of medical principles, so he supplied the drug to him."

[Cotter was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, moved back to Dublin and later jailed for four years for fraud, and "obtaining between May, 1946, and November, 1947, from Dublin chemists, morphine sulphate and morphine hydrochloride, by means of forged medical and veterinary prescriptions; also for being in unlawful possession of the drugs".]

 prev. exp. 200 hrs

Postings: 1FPP (as 2nd in Command from 29 Sep 1941, C.O. from 23 Nov 1942), 6FPP (as C.O. from 1 Jun 1944)

Seconded to 131 OTU Killadeas, NI, 3-8 Aug 1944, for Catalina and Sunderland training

Class VI pilot

"I didn't miss practising medicine; I was too busy learning new things"

7 accidents, 4 his fault: 

- 25-Feb-42, a wheels-up landing in Beechcraft BS180, despite indicator lights showing undercarriage to be locked down

- 31-May-42, he failed to control the landing swing in Tomahawk IIb AK155 at Thruxton and the undercarriage collapsed

- 27-Oct-42, the port leg of his Halifax III W7908 sunk into an unmarked patch of ground whilst taxying and the undercarriage collapsed

- 08-Nov-42, a forced landing back at South Marston after an engine failure in Stirling I R9253

- 05-Jun-43, he overshot the landing at Marwell in Halifax II JD247, and could only stop in time by retracting the undercarriage (!)

- 21 Jan 1944, an aborted take-off after an oil leak in a Typhoon completely obscured his vision

- 20 Apr 1944, taxying 'without due care', his Argus struck an obstruction marker

 "Very keen, sound and had-working pilot. In view of his limited experience, his pilotage is exceptional"

"A highly able and capable Commanding Officer"

 OBE In New Years Honours List 1946

Joined Bowaters in 1949

"Dr Neville Whitehurst and Mr C. F. Popham have been elected to the board of the Bowater Paper Corporation. Dr Whitehurst, general manager and a director of the Bowater Scott Corporation, will take up his appointment as chairman of Bowaters United Kingdom Pulp & Paper Mills on January 1" - The Scotsman - 21 Dec 1963

Address in 1966: Waterlands Cottage, Knowle Lane, Cranleigh

He retired in 1970

IWM Interview here: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80009782

 d. 17 Jul 1997 - West Surrey

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

Ed. Kennington School

prev. RASC Motor Driver, 1920; Royal Irish Constabulary (1921); radio engineer (wireless dealer)

prev. exp. 90 hrs

m. 1923 in Elham, Kent, Winifred Irene [Pierson]

"Damaged Wall.— Damage amounting to about £10 was done to a wall at Minster, the result of an accident on Friday morning. At 12.20 a Fordson tractor, driven by Felix Whitnall, of Sonds-road, Deal, was proceeding down Church-street, but when at the junction of Cunningham Road the steering gear failed to act properly, and the vehicle ran into the wall. The only damage was to the wall." - Thanet Advertiser - Thursday 09 April 1925

"A" Licence Gliding Certificate, 1931

"AN UNLIGHTED CAR - Motorist Fined £2 When Felix G. Whitnall was summoned at Folkestone Petty sessions on Friday last week for a breach of the lighting regulations, it was stated that he had already been fined six times for similar offences." - Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald - Saturday 12 January 1935

 "THE MOON MADE HIM OVERLOOK IT " I did not realise the seriousness of It because of the moonlight that night." said Felix Whitnall of 5 Wells Road, Folkestone, at the Folkestone Police Court on Tuesday. when he was summoned for parking his car on its offside during the black-out. Chief Inspector W. Hollands said there were a number of previous convictions for motoring offences. Whitnall said the last of these was in 1935." - Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald - Saturday 02 March 1940

Address in 1941: 40 Ashley Ave, Kent

Reprimanded and fined one day's pay in October 1941 after reporting a day late at Ratcliffe.

4 accidents, 3 his fault:

- 29 Oct 1941, an 'error of judgement' taxying in Mentor L4435 without a man on the tail

- 6 Nov 1941, 'bad airmanship' when he taxied his Avro Tutor G-ABIR into a car

- 6 Feb 1942, 'persisted too far in bad weather' in Hurricane L1638 and crashed

- 14 May 1943, a successful forced landing in Magister P9824 after engine failure.

 "A good average pilot inclined to be over-confident"

Off sick 11 Nov 1941 to 4 Dec 1941, after the Tutor crash.

His ATA pilot contract was terminated in October 1942 after he had been absent following his Hurrricane accident the previous February, but he was re-instated 1 May 1943.

When he returned he was put onto 'Maps and Signals' duty, then back on a pilot training course in early May 1943.

This was not a success, however - "He would appear to lack any air sense whatsoever... it would be much safer for himself and all concerned if he was taken off flying" - and his contract was again terminated on the 29 May 1943.  

d. 10 Dec 1983 - Dover, Kent, leaving £103,453

"Mr Felix Whitnall, a motor engineer by trade originally started in business at 16 Cheriton High Street selling models, some of which can still be at the shop. He became fascinated by radios and turned his fascination and hobby into a full-time radio business in 1932. His slogan "Whitnall's for Wireless" became famous throughout the area.

The present owner, Mr J. K. Moran joined Whitnall's in 1959, taking over the business when Mr Whitnall retired at the grand age of 80 in 1980 [sic].

Recentiy the showroom space has been trebled and Mr Moran can now proudly claim to have at least 50 different TVs on display.

Whitnall's speciality is high quality TVs Hi-Fi's and compact disc players all with the highest quality after sales service  - oh, and they do still sell radios!"- Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald - Friday 08 August 1986

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file): 

W.99	2nd Officer	Taniya Whittall
	b. 16 Jun 1919, Lindfield	1 Sep-42 to Apr-44

Prev. Exp: 6 hrs solo

Mother: Nancy (Meates) Father: Francis Vaughn (dec'd); her only sister lived in America.

Member of the Civil Air Guard in pre-WWII, ATA in WWII.

Taniya first applied to the ATA on 21 Mar 1941:

“In response to your appeal for ferry pilots, I wish to volunteer. I joined the Civil Air Guard at Redhill Aerodrome Surrey in September 1938, and gained my ‘A’ licence in May 1939. I have done approximately 30 hours flying (6 hours solo) on D.H. Gypsy I. I am 21 years of age, physically fit, and after the Civil Air Guard was disbanded I worked for 6 months at Headquarters Fighter Command Special Duties Branch as a plotter. I should be very grateful if you would inform me whether there is any possibility of my being accepted for ferry pilot duties”

They said “Nope”:

“I am afraid your experience does not come up to the required standards”

So in Jan 1942 she joined the WRNS, as a staff car driver.

She persevered, however, and applied again in August 1942. One of her ‘referees’ gave her this ringing, if slightly weird, endorsement:

“I have known Taniya Whittall 7 years as her people are neighbours of ours. And I would say she was quite trustworthy and reliable if in a position of access to secret information. Rather more so than is normal, as she is not talkative and has a head on her shoulders.”

... in any case, her initial assessment was OK:

“8 Aug 1942 – Avro Tutor 25 min. Take off (1) Poor (2) Fair. General flying “good – she possesses air sense....  A very good average pilot. Smooth and accurate handling... intelligent and very keen. She has plenty of confidence; in fact if she had any more she would definitely be over-confident.”

and she was accepted on the 16Sep 1942 as a Pilot Cadet, later being promoted to Third Officer in Jan 1943, and Second Officer in Jun 1943.

She did have a couple of accidents in 1943:

-          10 Sep 1943 in Spitfire XI EN341; undershot landing

-          24 Nov 1943 in Spitfire VIII JF895; heavy landing, followed by ground loop,

But when she was killed, it was as a passenger in a Lancaster I R5672 which crashed near Caistor at 17:00 on 8 Apr 1944.

Yorkshire Post, 12 Apr 1944: "WOMAN PILOT IN AIR CRASH ONE OF 9 KILLED From Our Own Correspondent GRIMSBY. Tuesday A verdict that she was killed accidentally in an aeroplane crash while travelling as a passenger was returned at Lincolnshire Inquest this afternoon on a woman ferry pilot, Second Officer Taniya Whittall (24), of the Air Transport Auxiliary, whose home was at Baskings, Selsfield, East Grinstead. Sussex.

She was one of nine people killed in an aeroplane which crashed near Caistor on Saturday. It was stated that she, with Wing Commander Campling and a Flight Engineer, boarded the machine at one Lincolnshire aerodrome to fly to another.

Gerald Richard Simpson, a student, said he saw the machine near Caistor flying at about 300 feet and losing height. The engines seemed to splutter and stop. There was an explosion and the machine crashed in flames. Squadron Leader James N. Ogilvie said the machine was completely wrecked and fragments scattered over wide area. He picked up A.T.A. cap, a powder compact, and a pilot's licence granted to the woman."

The compact and her wrist watch were salvaged, the rest destroyed. Taniya was not on duty at the time (it was her first day on leave), having delivered an aircraft the day before.

 With thanks to Bill Merry

She was buried at West Hoathly; her mother received a cheque for £2,500 from the insurance.

Her mother said “ She loved her job, and was never so happy as when she was at it.”

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.---	Cadet	Olive Betty(e) Whittington
	b. 24 Jul 1916, Sutton Surrey	1 Jun to 22 Jul 1943 (as pilot)

Mother: Olive Ellen Beatrice [Farmer], a Hotel Proprietress of 16 Edgecombe Ave, Newquay, Cornwall (d. 1971)

Ed. Sutton High School

m. Dec 1937 in Truro Cornwall, Rodney George May, a ladies hairdresser

[divorced December 1942: 

"Mrs. Olive Betty May, now serving in the Air Transport Auxiliary, of the Edgcumbe Hotel, Newquay was granted a decree nisi by Mr Justice Henn Collins in the Divorce Court on Monday on the grounds of the cruelty of her husband, Rodney George May, who did not defend the suit.

Mr. and Mrs. May were married in December, 1937, at Kenwyn Parish Church. They lived at Porth, near Newquay, and at the Edgcumbe Hotel, which was owned by the wife's mother. Mrs. May's case was that her husband had a terrible temper, and would swear at her and throw things about. He had kicked and hit her, pinched her and pulled her hair. Once he spent he whole evening nagging and bullying her in front of the guest in the hotel. " - Western Morning News - Wednesday 02 December 1942 ]

prev: ATA from 3 Jun 1942 (Catering, Clerk, MT Driver)

[ab initio pilot]

[Resigned]

m. Jul 1943 First Officer Henry 'Michael' Andrew Armstrong also of the ATA (daughter Mary Anne b. 1944, son John William Andrew b. 1949)

They ran the Edgcumbe Hotel in Newquay, also from 1959 the Coniston Hotel in Newquay

Henry d. 1984 in Newquay

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"

 d. 2011

"Bettye and Michael Armstrong ran the Edgcumbe Hotel during the very successful post war years. Their children each purchased their own hotels - Watergate Bay Hotel and Headland Hotel respectively. The 90 bedroom Edgcumbe Hotel was sold in 1989, and Bettye Gray (as she was then) purchased The Nare Hotel of 40 rooms. She set about substantially refurbishing and making it the most upscale hotel in Cornwall at the time. It has been the highest rated hotel in the county ever since. Bettye Gray, the family matriarch, was the inspiration for The Nare in its current form. She died, aged 94, a couple of days after hosting the weekly Champagne cocktail party." - https://www.narehotel.co.uk/about/a-century-of-inn-keeping

 The Edgcumbe Hotel closed its doors in 2015, and has remained derelict since.

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.---	Cadet	Mrs Jeanette Ann Wilkes
	b. 18 Jan 1919, Paddington	27 Mar to 3 Jul 1943

 née McCombie

Father: Duncan Alexander McCombie MD, Mother: Helen Millar [Craggs] of Thurso House, Madingley Rd, Cambridge

Ed. Roedean

prev: Typist; MT Driver for the Ministry of Aircraft Production

prev exp: 3hrs 15min *

m. 1941 in Cambridge, Alwyne 'Gerry' S Wilkes (2 children, Sally and Andrew)

* She wrote on hter application form that she had an 'A' Flying Licence (No. 20532) but that belonged to James Davie, and I can find nothing in her name, so her claimed experience of "3¼ hrs on Gypsy Moth" must be regarded as suspect, too.

One accident, her fault:

- 3 Jun 1943: a landing accident in a Hart I, the aircraft  cartwheeled & nosed over.

[Contract Terminated by ATA -'inefficiency']

d. Jun 2004 - Hemel Hempstead, Herts

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.76	2nd Officer	Norman Edmund Robinson Wilkes
	b. 29 Jul 1916, London	15 May 1940 to 31 Oct 941

ATAM

Father: Charles Robinson Wilkes (d. 1933), Mother: Sarah Ann [Middleton]

Ed. Beaufoy Technical College

prev. Stock Exchange; RAF F/O Sep 1936 - 31 Jul 1939

One thing he might not have mentioned in the interview; he was dismissed from the RAF "by sentence of General Court Martial" on 31 July 1939

prev. exp. 383 hrs

Address in 1940: Thicket Meadows, Maidenhead

"Little finger of left hand permanently bent"

Postings: 1FPP, 3FPP, 6FPP

2 accidents, 1 his fault:

- 2 Oct 1940, an incident in a Spitfire

- 28 Oct 1940, his Spitfire hit a Tiger Moth whilst taxying

Off sick from 4 Jan to 19 Jan 1941 with influenza, and from 1 Mar to 6 Apr 1941 with 'Catarrhal Jaundice'

Demoted to 2nd Officer 17 Oct 1941

Resigned 31 Oct 1941

"Keen pilot, loud voice"

 m. Janet Bruce [Bowden] (b. 1914 in Quebec, Canada)

  1976

"Guest Speaker for the Wednesday dinner meeting of the Cincinnati Branch of the English-Speaking Union will be Mr. Norman Wilkes.

Mr Wilkes' talk on "The British Tail Still Wags" will follow cocktails at 6:30 and dinner at 7:30 in the Queen City Club.

English-born, Canadian-by-adoptation, Mr Wilkes is a travel consultant and pioneer aviator.

An officer in the Royal Air Force before World War II, the speaker became a test pilot for Lockheed Aircraft. He was one of the first pilots to fly the Atlantic regularly starting as a Command pilot in 1941 and continuing into 1946.

A new career began in Barbados when he purchased a travel agency. He sold this when the island became an independent state. He returned to England and became an expert consultant in travel and in freight movements. Subsequently this became the Norman Wilkes Tours." - The Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Feb 1976

At one stage he teamed up with (ex-ATA Flight Engineer) Freddie Laker in a venture called "Britain with a Flair", which aimed to fly thousands of disabled Americans to Britain (according to the Daily Mirror in 1981).

d. 10 Jan 1985, one of eight casualties of a gas explosion at Newnham House, Manor Fields, Putney, London SW15

His wife Janet also died in the explosion.

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.56	First Officer	Mary Wilkins
	b. 2 Feb 1917, Leafield Oxfordshire	1 Oct 1941 to 31 Dec 1945

RAeC 1938

ATA

2010

 Father: Charles William Wilkins, a farmer, Mother: Ellen [Clarke] of Langley Farm, Leafield (The Manor, Brize Norton, Oxon from 1928)

3rd of 4 children

Ed. Shipton-under-Wychwood School, Burford Secondary and High Schools

prev: Shop Manageress

Postings: 5FPP, 15FPP, 6FPP, 1FPP

Class 4+ pilot

Off sick from 1 to 15 Apr 1943 with influenza

8 accidents:

- 30 Aug 1942, during a landing in Hurricane IIc MV657, a camera panel opened and the starboard wing dropped

- 3 Sep 1942, a forced landing in Argus EV787 after engine failure

- 5 Dec 1942, she taxied Spitfire IV (Tropical) BR656 in a strong wind "without a man on the tail", nosed over and damaged the propeller

- 20 Dec 1942, her Spitfire Vc (Tropical) EE752 was struck while stationary (but partly blocking the perimeter track), by another Spitfire Vc (Tropical) being taxied by Dorothy Bragg

- 28 May 1943, a wheels-up landing in Spitfire XI EN652 after the selector lever stuck

- 30 May 1943, taxying in Spitfire VII R7211, she hit Argus EV785 piloted by Mardi Gething, damaging the Argus' propeller and the Spitfire's wingtip. "The pilot's [Wilkins] judgement was probably impaired by the effects of an accident two days earlier. She should have been medically examined before flying again and O.C. 15FPP is therefore held responsible"

- 6 (or 19) July 1943, Commended for a forced landing in Argus I EV803 after engine failure caused by fuel starvation

- 8 Feb 1944, a tailwheel-up landing in Spitfire VIII MD342 due to a hydraulic fault

"A hard working pilot who possesses good judgement and shows good commonsense"

Flying Record in ATA:

- Single-engine 713.15 hrs

- Twin-engine 213.20 hrs

 76 aircraft types flown, including 403 Spitfires and 47 Wellingtons.

She later said: "Being an ATA pilot was fantastic... up in the air on your own. And you can do whatever you like"

Post-WWII, she was seconded to the RAF, where she became the second woman (after Veronica Volkersz) to pilot a Gloster Meteor.

Later, Manager of Sandown Airport, IoW, and the Isle of Wight Aero Club; ex-ATA pilot Vera Strodl was the Chief Flying Instructor.

And a rally driver; in 1953 she won the Isle of Wight rally with Caroline Humphreys as co-driver.

 m. 1961 Donald Ellis OBE, who worked for British Hovercraft Co. (d. 2009)

They moved to Saudi Arabia 1970-74

Mary (4th from left) at the unveiling of the ATA Memorial in Hamble-le-Rice, 2010

She wrote, with Melody Foreman, "A Spitfire Girl: One of the World's Greatest Female ATA Ferry Pilots Tells Her Story." (2016)

d. 24 July 2018

ATA Association Chairman Graham Rose delivered a tribute at her memorial service on 4 September 2018:

"Diminutive in stature at 5 foot 2 inches tall, quietly spoken, polite, kind, gentle, modest, inspiring, determined, graceful and fiercely independent to the end."

 In November 2016, she and fellow ATA pilot Joy Lofthouse were honoured in front of members of the Royal Family at the annual Festival of Remembrance in the Royal Albert Hall. They proudly marched to a standing ovation and applause ringing in their ears.

Dan Snow tweeted: “Mary Ellis, one of Britain's greatest aviators, died yesterday at the age of 101. Last week I took my kids to meet her. My boy clasped a model plane. She asked what it was. 'Spitfire' he whispered. She leaned down and shared a few private thoughts about the aircraft.

Gp Capt Tim Jones, station commander at Brize Norton, said: "A lot of men didn't want to see women flying at all and here were these ladies who were behind the scenes, helping keep the war effort going. When you meet people like Mary Ellis you can see in her eyes she has an inner steel that you can imagine came in very handy back then."

A moment that says much about Mary was that, as she left Number 10 Downing Street in May this year after an RAF100 Reception hosted by the Prime Minister, she was given a Guard of Honour by RAF Cadets."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ellis_(pilot)

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

1928

1939

ATAM

A 'Warehouseman' in London in 1928

record-breaking glider pilot at Dunstable pre-WWII;

President of the British Gliding Association;

ATA Director of Operations Feb 1942 - Dec 45

d. 16 Jan 1978

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W.---	Cadet	Sheila Willson
	b. 20 Jul 1921, Birmingham	8 May to 3 Jun 1944

Father: Thomas Willson, Mother: Lilian Nellie [Holden] of 'Holdene', Parkland Ave, Upminster, Essex

Ed. Palmer's Endowed School for Girls, Grays, Essex (prize and certificate from La Societé Nationale de Proffesseurs de Francais en Angleterre)

prev: Civil Service; WAAF

[ab initio pilot]

[Contract Terminated by ATA]

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M.171 *	First Officer	Frederick William Walby Wilson
	b,. 19 Apr 1895, Seaforth, Lancs	18 Nov 1940 to 30 Nov 1945

Father: Frederick William Wilson (d. 1941), mother Caroline Edith [Walby] (d. 1935)

prev. Private 1st West Lancashire Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps. Promoted 2nd Lieutenant 1/5th Battalion Liverpool Regiment 31 Oct 1914.

RFC, RAF (F/O, 462 (Torpedo) Flight in 1925; Flt-Lt from 1927; 203 Sqn {Iraq} from Jul 1930) ; Sales Manager

 m. 1923 in West Derby, Hilda [Thompson] (1893-1985)

In 1927, he piloted an RAF 'Southampton' flying boat on a "cruise round Scandinavia", with 3 others (a Blackburn Iris, a Short Singapore, and a Saunders Valkyrie):

 The 4 Flying boats - Iris, Singapore, Southampton, Valkyrie - Flight

However, "Flight Lt. Frederick William Walby Wilson is dismissed the Service by sentence of General Court Martial, 3 Dec 1930" - London Gazette

RAeC Certificate 19671 on Tiger Moth at Liverpool and District Aero Club, 19 Aug 1939

 Postings:

d. 3 Sep 1965, Prestatyn, Flintshire, Wales

* ATA Personnel File Missing

M.649	2nd Officer	Richard Horry 'Mike' Winn
	b. 27 Jul 1900, Hurlingham	22 Jul 1941 to 28 Jan 1942

Father: William Richard Winn

Ed. Whitgift School, Croydon; St George's School, Harpenden

m. Jul 1925 in Dorking, Surrey, Freda Mary [Phizacklea, b. 3 Mar 1903 in Staffordshire], 4 children (Anne b. 18 May 1926, Phillppa Jane b. 22 Apr 1930, Stephen Richard b. 7 Feb 1933, Nicholas b. 3 Aug 1935)

In 1931, he was in financial trouble, accused of obtaining money by false pretences. He pleaded guilty and, according to the Diss Express, 13 November 1931: 

"on oath said that he was a married man with two children, one five years old and the other eighteen months. He was educated at Harpenden and joined the Royal Air Force as a cadet, subsequently obtaining a commission. He resigned this in 1927, and was placed on the reserve.

At the time he resigned he was suffering from neurasthenia and this was in consequence of an experience he had in March 1927. At that time he was with others in charge of aeroplane over the North Sea. The plane came down and he with the others hung on to the side for seven hours till they were rescued.

[This incident is described here]

He had been in receipt of approximately £100 a year reserve pay, but this had ceased, and from time to time he had been assisted by friends. He was in a had way in September and improperly drew cheques. Now he was anxious to make a clean breast of the whole matter. "

He was bound over for a year.

Address in 1941: Carleton Hall, Penrith, Cumbria or Knapp Cottage, Corscombe, Dorchester, Dorset

prev. F/O, RAF and RAFVR, Nov 1925 to Oct 1930; a farmer, and mathematics teacher at a Prep School

prev. exp. 400 hrs on Avro 504, DH9a, Bristol Fighter, Vickers Virginia (!)

He originally applied to the RAF in May 1940, and they decided to give him a flight test.

However, following this the ATA informed him that his flying was judged to be "below the standard required for entry into the ATA" and "In these circumstances, we are unable to offer you an appointment as pilot."

However, by the 11 Jan 1941 the ATA wrote to him, "as a result of the lowering of the entrance standard it has now become possible to reconsider previously unsuccessful applicants.", and offered him another flight test.

He seems to have ignored this letter, but then wrote to the ATA on 11 Mar 1941:

"Gentlemen,

Will you please send information about condictions of service, rates of pay etc in the Air Transport Auxiliary?

I am 40½ & retired from the RAF in 1931. I have about 400-500 hours flying - half of this on twin engined aircraft - but I have not flown for 10 years"

His second flight test on the 9 Apr 1941 went reasonably well: ("Take-off, fair; General Flying, good;  Approach, poor; Landing, fair"), although he was rated "Doubtful for Class 2".

Postings: 3FPP

 "Well-disciplined, keen and likely to prove a useful and capable ferry pilot"

d. 28 Jan 1942 (Died in ATA Service) in Master T8614 which he was ferrying from Prestwick (having been held there for 2 nights by bad weather) to Catterick.

The weather was snowy, cold and cloudy; the aircraft crashed at about 1,500ft near Stainmore, 6 m E of Brough, Westmorland, possibly due to icing.

The aircraft and his body were not discovered until 4 Apr 1942.

 Photos of the crash site are here

Buried Maidenhead Cemetery

It turned out that Richard and his wife Freda, shortly before his death, had been declared bankrupt. He left no money whatsoever, and in fact there was an outstanding deficit of £2,349 18s 5d - plus, there were outstanding school fees to pay.

In March 1942, (so, after Richard went missing but before he was found), Freda became very ill and had to go into hospital for a serious operation; during that time Gerard d'Erlanger (ATA Commanding Officer) and his wife, cared for her two girls in their own home.

Normally, the ATA would have paid out £2,000 compensation to Freda under their insurance policy. Unfortunately, this would simply have been swallowed up by the public trustee for the benefit of the creditors.

The ATA Benevolent Fund met, considered her case and agreed to award her £94 4s "to clear the educational arrears of your two boys" and £30 to cover "maintenance for the next six weeks and travelling expenses", together with an offer to interview her and discuss the matter further.

On the 25 August 1942, the ATA's Deputy Chief Establishment Officer, Mr Staple, wrote to Mrs d'Erlanger at Lane Farm:

"Dear Mrs d'Erlanger,

I wonder if you could help me at all over the case of Mrs Winn? You know her well personally I believe, and have shown infinite kindness in taking in her children, and in various other ways, and if you could give me some assistance in her case at the present moment, I should be very grateful.

You know approximately what her circumstances were, how both she and her husband were bankrupt? Captain Stocks, the Flying Establishment Officer, with some assistance from this department, has been taking endless trouble with her affairs, and has been successful beyond all anticipation. He employed my suggestions to ask local [Maidenhead] solicitors, Messrs Smallman and Son, to get in touch with Mrs Winn, and the result of it all - without worrying you with any unnecessary detail - is that we managed to get the Trustees in Bankrupcy to withdraw their claims, so that Mrs Winn now stands to get the bulk of her husband's Insurance money.

 All this had been going ahead well, until this morning, when Mr Smallman sends me a letter from Mrs Winn, a copy of which I enclose, and you will see it is to the effect that she proposes to leave Mr Smallman and take certain advice. I cannot stress too much how ill-advised Mrs Winn is to take this action at this time. Her affairs have been admirably dealt with by Mr Smallman, and what is more, she has behind Mr Smallman Captain Stocks, Mr Bathurst and myself looking after them. If she goes and employs, at this stage, some strange country solicitor from the wilds of Cornwall to take over her affairs, she will probably upset the whole apple-cart.

You, I think, have some influence with her. Do you think you could write to her, saying that this has been pointed out to you by me, and urging her to let things go on in Mr Smallman's hands as they have been in the past, and to allow him to complete matters. I think that a letter of that kind coming from you might be effective."

Mr Staple also wrote to Freda, advising her to let Mr Smallman continue with the case, and continued tirelessly working on her behalf. Largely thanks to him, in December 1942, Freda received £568 10s via the Workmen's Compensation Act.

By the following July, she had received the remainder of the £2,000 ATA insurance money.

On 27 May 1946, at St Mary's Church, Bodmin, Freda (age 43) married David Lincoln Bateson USN (age 24), from Boston, Massachusetts. They, together with Stephen, Nicholas and Phillippa Jane, sailed to New York in January 1947.

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

W.105	2nd Officer	Mrs Joan Durham Witherby
	b. 31 Jul 1915, London	17 Jun 1942 to 29 May 1945

née Wilkinson

Father: William Durham Wilkinson, mother Mabel H [Jessel], later Mrs Dean

Ed St Stephens College, Folkestone

m. 1938 in Chelsea, James Herbert Witherby [missing, later presumed killed, in the sinking of the SS Ban Ho Guan during the fall of Singapore, 28 Feb 1942]

"She was a modern woman for her time since later that year [1939] she is reported as Mrs. J.D. Witherby as a Licensed Pilot taking part in an air search for a downed plane whilst she is flying with the Kuala Lumpur Flying Club" - https://www.malayanvolunteersgroup.org.uk

 prev. exp. 65hrs on Tiger Moth, Gipsy Moth

prev. Secretary,War Office  (MI5, then SOE) 

Address in 1942: 147 Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Ave, London SW3

Postings: 5TFPP, 15FPP

"This pilot came to ATA with very little flying experience... she had trouble on Harts and her training was stopped in September 1942. She appealed against this and for various reasons [sic] was given another chance"

 Class III pilot

"She has always shown keenness and the fact that she has finally got through is due more to this and her hard work than to her natural ability"

3 accidents, 1 her fault:

- 5 Feb 1944, the starboard undercarriage leg of her Spitfire collapsed on landing, after failing to lock down

- 20 Feb 1944,  the port undercarriage leg of her Spitfire VIII struck a heap of stones beside the runway, after a takeoff in a strong crosswind

- 2 May 1944, a forced landing in a Spitfire after hydraulic fluid leaked into the cockpit

   Joan and Mark, 1942

 m. 1953 in Kensington, Marcus Samuel 'Mark' Hale, also an ex-ATA pilot.

They had a son together in November 1945, who remembers his mother telling him that "she was still flying missions with the ATA whilst pregnant".

d. 2004, Australia

Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip files):

W.---	Cadet	Mrs Muriel Elyse Witt
	b. 12 Sep 1914, Manchester	24 Jun to 20 Sep 1942

RAeC 1938

ATA

née Haselden

 [Educated in Paris]

Address in 1939: 33 Parkstone Ave, Hornchurch, Essex

prev exp: 60 hrs on Moth and Swallow; Civil Air Guard

Address in 1942: 8 Landsdowne Rd, Wilmshaw Rd, Didsbury, Manchester

m. Jan 1940 in Brentwood, Essex Lt Roland John Vezio Witt, serving with GHQ in the Middle East

[Contract Terminated by ATA]

 Sailed to Egypt in Mar 1946, described as a 'Civil Servant', returning in Jul 1947 to live (alone) in London

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M.--- *	2nd Officer	Harvey Leonard Wren
	b. 4 Nov 1898, Bexley Heath, Kent	18 Jan to 20 Feb 1941

Father: Harvey Leonard Wren (a bank clerk, d. 1931), Mother: Lilian Eva Cecilia [Fuller] (d. 1953) of Springfield Lodge, Bexley Heath, Kent

Flt-Lieut., RAF (103 Sqn, 104 Sqn, 109 Sqn, Apr 1918 - Jan 1919, PoW)

RAeC Certificate 11646 dated 7 Jan 1934, taken at Kent Flying Club

Address in 1934: Old Coastguards Cottage / Tea Rooms, Seasalter, nr. Whitstable, Kent

"AIRMAN’S NARROW ESCAPE

  G-AEEU, owned by Robert C Ramsay

"Mr. Leonard Harvey Wren, of Seasalter, Whitstable, had a remarkable escape yesterday when a Gipsy Moth he was piloting crashed on the beach at Seasalter. He apparently got into an air pocket, which caused the plane to cartwheel and strike an electric pole. It then fell on the beach in front of his house. Wren escaped unhurt." - Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald - 3 Feb 1934

[Robert Christian Ramsay

was one of the founders of Kent Flying Club, and was the father of ATA pilot Diana Ramsay - see https://www.ata-ferry-pilots.org/index.php/category-blog-1941/682-ramsay-diana-patricia

G-AEEU crashed again in September 1934; pilot Norman Ian Ramsay [owner's son, aged 19] and passenger John Wilfred James (aged 33) were killed" ]

prev. Garage Proprietor

m. 1925 in Faversham, Kent, Annie May [Smith] (poss d. 1941)

 Resident in Canada, 1925-27

 Postings:

d. 4 May 1950  - Kent

"A garage proprietor at Seasalter for the past 25 years, be had recently retired from business. A pilot in 104 Bombing Squadron during World War 1, Mr. Wren was shot down over the Vosges Mountains and was taken a prisoner of war. In the early part of World War II he served with the ATA., being discharged eventually owing to ill-health." - Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald - 13 May 1950

* File not seen

M.941	3rd Officer [Seconded from RAF]	Basil Frederick Wrightson
	b. 13 Feb 1922, Grimsby	16 Oct 1943 to 13 Feb 1945

Father: George Heath Wrightson (d. 28 Jul 1941). Mother: Laura [Tiede]

Ed. Barton on Humber Grammar School; St Johns College Yorks

prev. RAF Jan 1942 - Oct 1943

prev. exp. none [ab initio pilot cadet]

Address in 1943: 78 Blundell Ave, Cleethorpes, Lincs.

Postings: 5TFPP, 1FPP, 6FPP, 4FPP

"He has made very steady and regular progress and has proved to be a thoroughly reliable and likeable officer."

d. 13 Feb 1945 in Spitfire XVI TB329, which crashed in a field at high speed, at Opbrakel, Belgium on a ferry flight from 84 GSU, Lasham to Reception Flight B60, Belgium.

"The pilot appears to be to blame for the accident, having persisted too far in bad weather. The conditions at the time of the acident being 100yds visibility with cloud on the ground"

Buried Ronse [Renaix], Belgium

"Treasured Memories of a dear son and brother. A staunch and loyal friend"

His personal effects contained "a number of wireless parts, technical publications etc, some of which belong to S/O J E Ball, [John Edward Ball, a Canadian pilot, q.v.] with whom he shared a workshop for the purpose of constructing wireless sets."

"Dear Captain Mead,

My daughter and I are stunned by the tragic news regarding my son. He was such a fine lad and a good son & was loved by all who knew him."

"I hope you are right in your conviction that my son did not suffer in any way and I wish I could feel the same... The strain of it all is beginning to tell and I am going to have great difficulty to bear my loss.

Thank you very much for your kindness

Yours Sincerely

Laura Wrightson"

 The ATA paid Laura £2,000 insurance on 30 Mar 1945.

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.259	Captain	Humphrey Osmond Wrigley
	b. 27 Feb 1901, Godalming	7 Oct 1940 to 30 Jun 1945

Ed. Harrow; Sandhurst

prev. Lieut in Queen's Bays, Jan 1921 - June 1924; Company Director

prev. exp. 147 hrs on DH Moth

m. 1 Jun 1927 in Brighton, Edith Clare [Stock] (d. 21 Dec 1927 aged 31)

Address in 1930: 13 Park Way, London NW11

He owned G-AAKP, a 1929 DH 60M Moth, which was impressed as AW148 in Jul 1940

Next of kin: (Mother): The Vicarage, Martinstown, W Lulworth, Dorset

 Postings:  1FPP, 9FPP (as 2nd-in-Command), 16FPP (as 2nd-in-Command)

Class 5 (4-engine) pilot

Originally joined ATA as 2nd Officer - Air Gunner

 Suspended in Feb 1943 for 1 day for Loss of Ferry Pilots Notes

 3 accidents, 1 his fault:

- 19 Jun 1941, his Tomahawk AX900 swung on landing, due to a sheared pin connecting the tail wheel to the rudder bar

- 28 Aug 1942, Commended for a forced landing in Tomahawk I AH849 after engine failure

- 12 Dec 1942, he taxied his Anson W1829 into a soft patch and the starboard undercarriage leg collapsed

"First class from all points of view"

"A most efficient second in command" - Bert Yardley, CO 16FPP

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

 d. 7 Sep 1980 - Chelsea, London

 buried Hendon Cemetery

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M.52	First Officer	Arthur George Nevill Wynne-Eyton
	b. 23 May 1909, Downrew, Bishop's Tawton	22 Apr 1940 to 17 May 1941

Ed. Wellington College, Berks

m. Gabrielle

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

RAeC 1930

c1942, via Peter Elliott

née Blandy Jenkins

Father: John Blandy Jenkins, (m. 1891, d. 1901 in Las Palmas, Grand Canary),

Mother: Helen Mary [Duffield, m. 1902 Frank Hervey Aston Oakes, who d. in 1907 ]

Address in 1901: Park House, Graig, Monmouthshire (living with her uncle and aunt, Leolin and Alice Walker)

In 1911, aged 18, she was staying in Wimbledon with Mrs Louisa de Saumaurez Tate [nee Hawtrey], as a visitor, as was Miss Ellen Frederica Hawtrey, aged 50.

m. 7 Aug 1914 in London, Stephen William Miles Silver

m. 1932 in Kenya Wing Commander Charles Stanford 'Sandy' Wynne-Eyton, DSO, AFC of RAF Cairo (d.14 Nov 1944 in the crash of Liberator II AL584 in France)

prev. Pilot in Kenya Aux AF 1939-40

Address in 1940:  Timau, Kenya; took her Medical for the ATA at RAF Nairobi

She is believed to be the first woman to have flown as a pilot with a Royal Air Force unit, with WAAF Middle East.

She owned VP-KBX, a 1936 DH 85 Leopard Moth, which was impressed into the SAAF during WWII but survived until a hangar fire in Benoni [Johannesburg] in 1956

Peter Elliott, of the RAF Museum, discovered a signal dated 12 Sep 1943, from RAF Middle East to the Air Ministry, asking for confirmation that members of the WAAF were to be employed as pilots. "The tone of the reply - stating that only the ATA could employ such women - may have led to them hastily terminating Mrs Wynne-Eyton's contract, just a month later."

[Contract Terminated]

m. 1947 David Geoffrey Christie-Miller

Address in 1955: Kitale, Nairobi, Kenya and Kensington, London

d. 5 Nov 1955 - Kensington, London

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

1935

ATA

Ed. "Secondary School"

m. 1927 Ethel Maud [Williams], 1 child

prev. a Beer Seller and Hotel Manager; he was the landlord of the 'Robin Hood' in Lichfield from 1937.

19 Nov 1939: "LICENCE TRANSFERRED The temporary transfer of the licence of the Robin Hood was granted from Samuel Bert Yardley to his wife, Ethel Maud Yardley."

Address in 1939: The Fox Hotel, Chaddesley, Corbett, nr Kidderminster

Postings: Filton, Woodley, 1FPP, 2FPP, 4FPP, 6FPP, 3FPP, 16FPP

Officer Commanding 16FPP from 27 Nov 1941, although to begin with Maitland Boucher thought that "The organisation of 16FPP has not stood the test of expansion. Commander Yardley tries to do too much himself."

To help him, the ATA "robbed other pools of highly efficient Adjutants", and the situation gradually improved "undoubtedly largely due to the efforts of Commander Yardley" - to the extent that d'Erlanger then criticized him for not doing enough ferry work himself.

 OBE in 1946

 d. 8 Nov 1949, Kidderminster

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):

M.190	First Officer	Count Theodore Bela Rudolf Zichy de Zich et Vásonkeő
	b. 13 Jun 1908, Eastbourne	26 Aug 1940 to 15 Aug 1941

1938

Ed. Budapest, Paris

Next of kin: Count B R Zichy (father), 7 Museum St, Budapest, Hungary

prev. an author

Address in 1940: St. Regis, Cork St, Mayfair, London

Postings: 1FPP, 14FPP, 2FPP

3 accidents, 1 his fault:

- 1 Jan 1941, he misjudged his speed and height and the port wing of his Hurricane dropped and hit the ground. "Pilot is to blame and accepts full responsibility."

- 11 Jan 1941, the tailwheel unit failed as he was taxying a Hurricane on frozen ground, and

- 4 Mar 1941, the brake system failed in a third Hurricane.

 "has had a number of financial troubles and should be controlled in this resepct"

"This officer has become a useful ferry pilot"

Contyract Terminated - Medical Grounds

 His Wikipedia Entry  describes him as "a British actor, photographer, film director, producer and playboyof Hungarian descent."

His "Royal Artillery Tracer'" record shows that he enlisted in August 1943, was in a prisoner of war camp (I'm not sure whether this was in the UK or abroad, though) from December 1944 until 1945, and transferred to the Intelligence Corps in 1951.

d. Dec 1987 (suicide)

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):