Mary Ellis - A Spitfire Girl

A
SPITFIRE
GIRL

ONE OF THE WORLDS GREATEST
FEMALE ATA FERRY PILOTS TELLS HER
STORY

Mary Ellis

As told to Melody Foreman

Frontline Books

A SPITFIRE GIRL

One of the Worlds Greatest Female ATA Ferry Pilots Tells Her Story

This edition published in 2016 by Frontline Books,

an imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd,

47 Church Street, Barnsley, S. Yorkshire, S70 2AS

Copyright Melody Foreman

The right of Melody Foreman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

ISBN: 978-1-47389-536-2

eISBN: 978-1-47389-538-6

Mobi ISBN: 978-1-47389-537-9

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

CIP data records for this title are available from the British Library

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The Reputation the Air Transport Auxiliary has always enjoyed is second to none. It was formed in 1940 to supply the Fleet Air Arm and the RAF with aircraft flown straight from factory to airfield. By the end of the war, the ATA boasted around nearly four thousand pilots and ground crew, of whom over 160 of the pilots were women.

The list of different aircraft flown by Mary Ellis is astonishing by any standards, but nothing exceptional for the ATA. The knowledge and skills with which she and her colleagues were endowed tell their own story. They were an amazing group of people.

My first contact with the ATA was at an event at Lyneham in 1990 to mark their 50th Anniversary, when I was invited by Diane Bamato-Walker - another heroine of the ATA.

Through Diana, now enhanced by this lively biography of Mary Ellis by Melody Foreman, my admiration for these ladies knows no bounds. This is an adventure story of the first quality and I salute its main character, and its author. Your readers will love it.

I would sincerely like to thank all those people who believe as passionately as I do that Marys astounding story of courage, skill, determination and achievement, should be told.

In writing this book I have met several noble people along the way who should not be forgotten for their kindness and support. Firstly, and rightfully so, I owe an immense debt of gratitude to Mary herself for so kindly and gently sharing her invaluable and often personal memories with me throughout our many meetings at her home or on an airfield meetings that soon developed into an inspired friendship.

I am profoundly grateful to Dr Julian Brock for a raft of support and genius wisdom in all its guises. To Dr Margaret Clotworthy, whose dreams of becoming a Spitfire pilot are bound to come true because of her passion to fly, dynamic approach to life science and for her gift of great friendship, I thank so very much.

I am obliged to HRH Prince Michael and the lovely Carolyn Grace who both wrote special forewords and tributes to Mary and the ATA for this book. I must also thank author Robin Brooks who first introduced me to Mary several years ago.

I must express gratitude to the leading aviation author, military historian and editor Andy Saunders who, when he learnt that this book was underway, introduced me to Frontline Books. Thank you to my editor, Paul Hamblin, for quietly and confidently nudging me in the right direction.

Never will I forget the kindness and hospitality of former ATA First Officer Molly Rose JP, DL, OBE, who invited me into her home to share such honest memories of flying and her life experiences during wartime. Sadly, Molly died just before this book was published but her record of knowing Mary and so many other colleagues of the ATA is there to read and will live on in the pages of this book. Thank you to Mollys son, Graham Rose, who, in his position as Chairman of the Air Transport Auxiliary Association, introduced me to his unforgettable mother, Molly. The ATA Museum at Maidenhead, headed by Richard Poad MBE, must also be applauded.

To the Battle of Britain pilot and talented writer Wing Commander Tom Neil DFC and Bar, AE, who guided me on authentic aviation matters when needed, I thank so much. Likewise to the Spitfire pilots of today who are happy to answer my questions and share their vast knowledge of this wonderful aircraft with me.

Thanks must also go to my sisters, Madeline and Helen, my friends Bryan Simpson, of The Historic Aircraft Collection, historian Tony Parslow, and Second World War aircraft recovery specialist, Terry Parsons of the Kent Battle of Britain Museum Trust, Rosie and Richard, Christine, and, of course, the late, dear, not forgotten, RAF Warrant Officer Neville Croucher, a Second World War pilot who was always so interested in the tremendous efforts of the ATA which kept him and thousands of air crew supplied with aircraft throughout the war.

Melody Foreman

F lying a Spitfire is undeniably an emotive experience demanding immense attention to detail, judgement and inherent skill, these attributes in combination are rare. To be flying not only Spitfires, of all different Marks, but an incredible seventy-six other types of heavy piston engine fighters and bombers demands attributes far in excess of those I have mentioned and there were only a few pilots who achieved this level of excellence and one undoubtedly is Mary Ellis.

Not only was Mary flying these aircraft to the front line squadrons she was doing so without any navigational aids other than a compass and without radio assistance of any type. Relying on her calm attitude to the situation put before her, she excelled in a manner that few achieved but would be the very last person to ever intimate in conversation that she did anything special. With encouragement Mary would captivate those fortunate enough to be in earshot of her quiet voice when, finally, she would reveal just a part of her flying career during the Second World War in the Air Transport Auxiliary. I have the honour of knowing Mary for the past twenty years during which time she has never changed, with her love of aviation remaining strong. To my great delight I took Mary flying in my Spitfire (the first time) at Sandown on 29 July 2005. Mary and I had an exhilarating time together, roaring around the cliffs of the Isle of Wight in our Spitfire, and sharing the flying with her was sheer unadulterated pleasure!

The second time I flew Mary was for a documentary. On 16 June 2010 Mary and I set off in the Spitfire from Bentwaters in Suffolk flying out over the sea. Once again I flew a Victory Roll much to Marys delight. She then flew the Spitfire with her inherent skill, but this time we were more composed as we were on film! On landing I set about cleaning the Spitfire for the next filming slot when I noticed an absence of not only my team, but the fire crew as well. I looked around and there they all were transfixed by Mary, whose exuberance about what she had just flown in, encouraged her to talk about the aircraft she had delivered in the ATA. Mary was quite unaware of the impact she was having on her incredulous listeners, which I found just wonderful.