There is one thing that makes Britain (and Ireland) great, the women that it has grown, nurtured and inspired to change the world. Some did good things whilst others will be remembered simply for their courage and determination. Of course there are those whose actions themselves may not be worthy of praise, yet the repercussions led the way to a better life. Many of these women you might already know of, some may have been previously overlooked. They will however be names that you should never forget. After all, for many of us, our lives would be a lot different had they never lived.

Friday, 17 January 2014

Amy Johnson 1903 - 1941

Amy Johnson
Amy Johnson was a pioneering English Aviator (or Aviatrix).  She was originally introduced to flying as a hobby and gained her Pilots licence in 1929.  Amy Johnson was also the first British woman to hold a Ground Engineers licence.
            In 1930 she became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia.  The aircraft she used, a Gypsy Moth named ‘Jason’, can still be seen on display in the Science Museum in London.  She was also awarded a CBE in recognition of her achievements.
            Amy Johnson and her co-pilot, Jack Humphreys, became the first people to fly from London to Moscow in one day in July 1931.  The flight had taken them about 21 hours.  From Moscow they continued across Siberia into Tokyo, setting a record time for flying from Britain to Japan.
            In 1932 she married Jim Mollison, who was to become her new co-pilot.  That same year she also set the record for solo flight from London to Cape Town.  Johnson and Mollison were both injured in 1933 when they crashed down in Conneticut, USA, after running out of fuel flying from South Wales to the United States.
            The couple took part in the MacRobertson Air Race from Britain to Australia in 1934.  After setting a record time from Britain to India, they were unfortunately forced to retire in Allahabad due to engine trouble.  Johnson’s last record breaking flight was from Britain to South Africa in 1936.  She overturned a glider in 1938 but was not seriously hurt.  It was however, the end of her marriage and she was divorced from Jim Mollison that same year.

            During the Second World War, the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was set up to transport Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft around the country.  Amy Johnson joined the ATA in 1940 and rose to the rank of First Officer.  It was on 5th January 1941, whilst making a routine flight for the AXA, that Johnson went off course in bad weather and had to bail out of her aircraft.  Her plane crashed down in the Thames Estuary and so did Amy Johnson.  Despite the valiant efforts of one man, who tragically lost his own life trying to save her, Amy Johnson was drowned and her body never recovered.  She became the first member of the ATA to die in service.         
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