Joy Lofthouse R.I.P.

bluethrunthru

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Just read that Joy - the last surviving female ATA pilot from WW2 passed away today aged 94.

Who? What? some will say. Joy Lofthouse was a remarkably brave lady who with 163 other female pilots who served with the Air Transport Auxilliary delivered planes during WW2 from factory to airfields thus freeing up experienced male pilots for front line duty. These were invariably young girls flew single and multi engined aircraft on their own flying by following railway lines and roads to find where they going. Often at first the male pilots and ground crew were amazed when a slip of a girl on her own dropped out of the hatch on a twin engined bomber that they just delivered.

Joy was the last of the few brave young ladies who's number included famous aviatrix Amy Johnson who was lost over the Thames estuary when on a mission to deliver a plane.

Looks like Joy held out to see one last Remembrance Sunday - fair play to her and I tip my metaphorical cap to her and her compatriots for their largely unsung bravery - we will never see their likes again.
 
Amazing lady. My great aunt was the last surviving member of the Royal Flying Corp. Predecessor to the RAF when she's passed away. 11 years ago. Incredible ladies, terrible times.
 
Very brave lady. There were plenty of others who more than contributed to the war effort. My Gran made aircraft parts for Fairy Aviation during the war.
 
I know shockingly little on this to my absolute shame. I shall look over the tales of these brave women right now.

R.I.P Joy Lofthouse
R.I.P Churchlawtonblue's Great Aunt

:-(
 
She has been on a number of documentaries in recent years after the ATA become reported about and known of. She featured in a series of women in war programmes in the run up to the last Remembrance Day and I commented then that she was looking old.

Surely Youtube will yield some worthwhile research for you pal - its a story that is worth a wider telling
 
These brave girls flew planes that had no defence armaments as yet fitted, they were at the mercy of random fighter attacks,
when delivering aircraft to South Eastern airfields in particular. A documentary on them was made some years ago,
and it showed a typically reserved, unassuming group of women that said that they were just doing their jobs.
 

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