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Spitfire Women


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Details- Giles Whittell 2007 Pub - Harperpress ISBN 978-0-00-7235335-3 About £20.00

Just finished reading it. Now I want to read it again. If you wrote some of this as fiction people would think it far fetched!

Most of the time I had a disbelieving smile of admiration on my face, what a bunch those ladies were.

These were the ladies of the ATA - Air Transport Auxiliary - delivery pilots in simple terms, How do you think all those Spitfires got from Castle Brom to the front line units? But they had to work up to that, it wasn't easy in that Male dominated world, They had to be better than the Male delivery pilots, there was an incredible spirit & pride in them. I found I had to force myself to put the book down.

Sadly most have now died, but with spirit like that, how could we have lost the war?

Very highly recommended, and now I'm going to search out the individual stories of some of the more famous pilots,

I know Diana Barnato Walker wrote one, 'Spreading my Wings' & also Lettice Curtis, not sure about Pauline Gower.

Fabulous

Pete

Edited by Pete in Riyadh
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Details- Giles Whittell 2007 Pub - Harperpress ISBN 978-0-00-7235335-3 About £20.00

Just finished reading it. Now I want to read it again. If you wrote some of this as fiction people would think it far fetched!

Most of the time I had a disbelieving smile on my face, what a bunch those ladies were.

Sadly most have now died, but with spirit like that, how could we have lost the war?

Very highly recommended, and now I'm going to search out the individual stories of some of the more famous pilots,

I know Diana Barnato Walker wrote one, 'Spreading my Wings' & also Lettice Curtis, not sure about Pauline Gower.

Fabulous

Pete

Hi Pete,

I haven't read the book in question yet, but after your review I'll have to get a copy.

For your information, here are a couple of other books on the same theme which may be of interest to you:-

The Forgotten Pilots, by Lettice Curtiss. Pub. G.T. Foulis 1971, ISBN 0854291237.

Amy Johnson enigma in the sky, by David Luff. Pub. Airlife 2002, ISBN 1840373199.

Regards,

Glenn

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:pilot: Hi Pete, couldn't agree with you more, these ladies of the ATA did a fantastic job, must not forget that there were also men in the ATA. Had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Diana Barnato Walker at Memorial Day at the Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel le Ferne last year, wonderful lady, sadly, she is no longer with us.

Robin.

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I have a copy of Lettice Curtis's book if you would like it.

My former school librarian, Helena Davey, was in the ATA, she used to ferry B-24s across the pond. Still alive and lives a few miles away.

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My former school librarian, Helena Davey, was in the ATA, she used to ferry B-24s across the pond.

As Pete said, if it was fiction you'd say it was far fetched. We are not worthy, but we can give thanks to these remarkable women.

peebeep

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I would love the Lettice Curtis Book, many thanks. Drop me an email & I'll send my home address (in England) I'll be there in about

six weeks time for leave. I'll refund postage or whatever of course.

I've tracked down the Diana Barnato Walker book to Midland Counties, so there's another one on the to read pile that I'll look forward to.

Cheers

Pete

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Good to see '407 airborne again,two smashing ladies in harmony there.

On the subject of the ATA girls,a late Uncle who was ex wartime RAF reckoned that a Spit being delivered to their 'drome came in with u/c trouble one day,

The pilot just slid it gently onto the grass wheels-up.They went out to the a/c and were really,really shocked when one of the ATA girls clambered out.

Uncle said that she was a real slip of a girl and gorgeous.

When they lifted the Spit up the damage was very minimal,mainly radiators and carb air scoop.She'd even cut the engine seconds before she touched down and hardly damaged the prop so that the a/c was repaired in situ.

A few days later,the squadron C.O tried the same trick with a Spit.When they lifted it up they found he'd ripped the guts out of it so much that it had to go back to the MU for repairs...................

Mark

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