woman transport pilots WW 2

I am doing research into the womans english ATA that transported planes in ww 2 have been on various sites but can only find U S A woman pilots any help would be grateful;y received

Elizabeth, there was a wonderful programme on about the ATA women on TV not long ago. Interviews with some of the ladies were most informative and hair raising. Here is a short bit of the programme, I hope it may help with some names etc.

Spitfire Women

Here is another link, Elizabeth.

Link

Thanks for the link joseph 1, will watch it when I've more time ,

You're welcome, Dougie. It was an most enjoyable show about those brave women.

There is a book available from Amazon called The Female Few: Spitfire Heroines of the Air Transport Auxiliary.

Link

Hi Elizabeth, the following link may be of use to you, http://www.airtransportaux.com/history.html

During my work with the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust I have had the pleasure of meeting several of the female pilots who flew with the ATA, sadly, like the members of 'The Few', there are not many of them left.

Good man, Robin.

Ooops! Sorry Robin.

Robin's Link

Hi Elizabeth, I don't know where you live, be nice if you could get to this.

female war pilots

I've been reading about the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) online due to this thread, Elizabeth, it is an interesting subject.

As Stel48 said, the ATA Museum in Maidenhead, Berks, looks well worth a visit.

www.atamuseum.org:

'The Museum holds a complete list of all ATA employees. The service records of ATA aircrew (pilots and flight engineers) are held by RAF Museum Hendon (link) but these are available to next of kin only.'

'If you have a simple question you would like to ask us, please use our contact form.'

Good luck with your research.

Joanne, No one likes a know all

I know, Stel48.

Women in World War Two (link:

'Some were members of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) which flew RAF planes from a factory to a fighter squadron’s base. *There were 120 women in this unit out of 820 pilots in total. The women had fewer crashes than male pilots but they were not welcome as the editor of the magazine "Aeroplane" made clear : they (women ATA) "do not have the intelligence to scrub the floor of a hospital properly." He , C.G. Grey, claimed that they were a "menace" when flying.'

(* Not sure where those figures are from.)

Thanks to all that have replied to my thread ,sorry I havent been back before will let you know how I get on , Just been looking at a site about the woman who served in WW2 not a mention anywhere of the Timber Corp which I was one of them TIMBER ha ha

Wigan Women Transport Paaaahlots!

Is this the one Elizabeth

timber Corp

yES BUT i WAS NOT IN THAT SORT I WAS WITH ANOTHER GIRL jEAN AND WE WERE fELLERS AND LOPERS THE TREES WE HAD TO GET DOWN WERE ANYTHING FROM the size of pINE TREES TO oAK ONEs one WE GOT DOWN WAS ABOUT 27 INCHES cross and couldnt see the top of it and then we had to lop it , the men who had marked it to fell their ears must have been burning by what we were saying and WE WERE ARRESTED AFTER but that is another story regarding Churchills telephone line and load iton to wagon with other trees and take them to the station to load on railway wagons just the two of us deep in the forest with a 7lb and a 14lb axe plus cross cuts bow saws chains billhooks etc etc and everything else

It seems you had some challenging adventures, Elizabeth.

"and we were arrested after but that is another story"

I'm intrigued.

Joe Ann well it happened like this That particular oak we got down as it fell we heard alot of noise including pinging but carried on lopping it then some Police arrived and after conversation they took us to the local Police station arrested as we were supposdly sabateurs as we had cut Churchills phone lines to all War departments and USA that was the pinging noise we heard , we explained it was (if they looked) a very tall old tree and being in full foliage we couldmt see the wires . any way after checking us out we went backto the wood at Chipperfield .but we never did find out if it was true or not about thwe phonw linwa to Churchill but we had a good laugh

"cut Churchill's phone lines to all War departments and USA"

That could have been considered 'high trees-on', Elizabeth! Glad it was all's fell that ends well.

JO
ANN very good that play on words

Thanks, Elizabeth, I imagine it was quite worrying when you were arrested. What type of work do you think you'd have been doing at that time if it wasn't for the war?

jOE aNN POSSIBLY DRESS DESIGN MOTHER WAS GOING TO ARTICLE ME TO nORMAN hARTNEL

I hadn't heard of Norman Hartnell, Elizabeth. The timber corps was quite a change of tack.

Norman Hartnel designed The Queens Wedding Dress well known in thise days

I've seen photos and film of the Queen's wedding dress, Elizabeth, and like its design. Do you think your experiences in the Timber Corps helped make you more independent and self-reliant?