Mary Ellis - Last of the Spitfire Girls

[Lizzie Zoom]

I make no apologies in repeating my post in the "Dead Person" thread, as I believe this brave individual deserves a full mention in a separate thread as the last of the Spitfire girls who has just died at the grand age of 101. She was one of a number of very brave women of the wartime ATA who delivered aircraft from the factories to where they were needed.

Mary Ellis delivered no less than 400+ Spitfires, and 76 other types of aircraft including Wellington bombers.  To do that in unarmed planes with the Luftwaffe always ready to pounce was probably the bravest acts of all those who flew in WW2.  A real women who made all the difference and set the scene for women flying fast jets, the top rated fighters of today. She and her colleagues, make no mistake, made a great difference to the RAF's ability to fight off the Luftwaffe swarms over Great Britain, and especially my part of the country whose skies were filled 78 years ago by a very real menace.  What the likes of Mary did was allow the men to have their crucial fighters, such as the Spitfire, and give them the means to stop us having now, in 2018, speaking German as our national language, and us not having a democracy. They were that crucial.

Amy Johnson was also one of those brave women of the ATA, but that famous flyer died in 1941 somewhere in the Thames Estuary whilst flying a Spitfire, demonstrating what a dangerous job it was that she, Mary Ellis, and all the other ATA women undertook to keep the brave men attacking the Luftwaffe.

RIP for a brave women and the last of the ATA

[BazaJT]

As you say Lizzie a truly crucial role was played by these ladies,sad that they are now all gone but of course that's the order of things.Not a bad innings though. R.I.P.

[Tony H]

Absolutely a very brave lady

[Lizzie Zoom]

As you say Lizzie a truly crucial role was played by these ladies,sad that they are now all gone but of course that's the order of things.Not a bad innings though. R.I.P.

The strange thing is though, as I put, she was known as the last of the Spitfire girls. But after reading some other material, I have discovered there are actually 3 other ATA girls still alive, but all younger than Mary Ellis. That is why when reading history we have to be so careful to research and reference more than one source!

[BazaJT]

In that case the three remaining ladies have my apologies for trying to see them off before their time

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Im certain that when I posted about this earlier today, I read on the BBC website that she was the last surviving female spitfire pilot.
I have just looked at the story again, and it has been moved way down the list of stories, and now says "one of the last surviving". 

[wingman]

Sorry Lizzie but Amy Johnson did not perish while flying a spitfire. She was flying a Airspeed Oxford on 5th Jan 1941 when she ran out of fuel due to adverse weather conditions while delivering it for the ATA to RAF Kidlington near Oxford. She is reported to have bailed out and the plane crashed into the Thames estuary. She was seen in the water by the crew of HMS Hazlemere but attempts to save her failed. Her body was never recovered.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Sorry Lizzie but Amy Johnson did not perish while flying a spitfire. She was flying a Airspeed Oxford on 5th Jan 1941 when she ran out of fuel due to adverse weather conditions while delivering it for the ATA to RAF Kidlington near Oxford. She is reported to have bailed out and the plane crashed into the Thames estuary. She was seen in the water by the crew of HMS Hazlemere but attempts to save her failed. Her body was never recovered.

Yes, she was indeed. Thanks for the correction

There has been speculation since her death about how she really perished, and as you suggest, why she was not rescued when it seems she was spotted in the water. It has been suggested by some that she may have been drawn into the planes propellor when she bailed out, so her body was very mangled and was best left to the sea. Who knows, but for sure she was a brave aviator who died whilst doing her duty for the nation who loved her.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Im certain that when I posted about this earlier today, I read on the BBC website that she was the last surviving female spitfire pilot.
I have just looked at the story again, and it has been moved way down the list of stories, and now says "one of the last surviving". 

Yes, because like me the BBC researchers no doubt referenced previous statements of recent times that suggested she was the last of the Spitfire girl pilots, without researching further.  Red faces all round perhaps!

[Lizzie Zoom]

As I have started this thread, I am duty bound to mention Squadron Leader Geoffery Wellum who died the other day at 96.

He was youngest Spitfire pilots who actually fought in the Battle of Britain. He was one of the few, and a tremendous character who kept himself alive during that battle and the rest of WW2 by quickly learning the survival tactics of a great fighter pilot. Imagine doing what he did; flying a Spitfire into the Battle against the Luftwarre aged just 18! We must remember these fantastic people, the survivors now passing away quickly, who gave us the chance to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy today.

RIP

[Shackeng]

Sorry Lizzie but Amy Johnson did not perish while flying a spitfire. She was flying a Airspeed Oxford on 5th Jan 1941 when she ran out of fuel due to adverse weather conditions while delivering it for the ATA to RAF Kidlington near Oxford. She is reported to have bailed out and the plane crashed into the Thames estuary. She was seen in the water by the crew of HMS Hazlemere but attempts to save her failed. Her body was never recovered.

Yes, she was indeed. Thanks for the correction

There has been speculation since her death about how she really perished, and as you suggest, why she was not rescued when it seems she was spotted in the water. It has been suggested by some that she may have been drawn into the planes propellor when she bailed out, so her body was very mangled and was best left to the sea. Who knows, but for sure she was a brave aviator who died whilst doing her duty for the nation who loved her.

We had an Oxford at RAF Wahn, 2nd ATAF, Communication Flight in the late '50's, and, if memory serves after 60 years, IIRC the access door, which would be the bail out exit, was on the port side, rear of the wing, so improbable that she could have got tangled by the prop.

[Shackeng]

Just looked at some pics, the door was port side just above  the rear section of the wing.

[henryd]

As I have started this thread, I am duty bound to mention Squadron Leader Geoffery Wellum who died the other day at 96.

He was youngest Spitfire pilots who actually fought in the Battle of Britain. He was one of the few, and a tremendous character who kept himself alive during that battle and the rest of WW2 by quickly learning the survival tactics of a great fighter pilot. Imagine doing what he did; flying a Spitfire into the Battle against the Luftwarre aged just 18! We must remember these fantastic people, the survivors now passing away quickly, who gave us the chance to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy today.

RIP

I have see him out and about in his home town of Mullion a few times,my father was lucky enough to have listened to many of his tales of the war

[Lizzie Zoom]

Sorry Lizzie but Amy Johnson did not perish while flying a spitfire. She was flying a Airspeed Oxford on 5th Jan 1941 when she ran out of fuel due to adverse weather conditions while delivering it for the ATA to RAF Kidlington near Oxford. She is reported to have bailed out and the plane crashed into the Thames estuary. She was seen in the water by the crew of HMS Hazlemere but attempts to save her failed. Her body was never recovered.

Yes, she was indeed. Thanks for the correction

There has been speculation since her death about how she really perished, and as you suggest, why she was not rescued when it seems she was spotted in the water. It has been suggested by some that she may have been drawn into the planes propellor when she bailed out, so her body was very mangled and was best left to the sea. Who knows, but for sure she was a brave aviator who died whilst doing her duty for the nation who loved her.

We had an Oxford at RAF Wahn, 2nd ATAF, Communication Flight in the late '50's, and, if memory serves after 60 years, IIRC the access door, which would be the bail out exit, was on the port side, rear of the wing, so improbable that she could have got tangled by the prop.

Thanks for that.  Interesting, and makes me wonder why some would suggest entanglement in the prop.  Some of course have suggested a "cover up" by the authorities at the time. Why, only knows, and after all this time no doubt we shall never know what really happened that killed a great women.

[Doctor Gollum]

The Navy possibly ran over her in haste. Or the reported sighting was a mistake.