The Air Transport Auxiliary made victory possible in WW2 by ferrying Hurricanes and Spitfires, and all manner of other combat aircraft, to where they were most needed. Remembering in particular Pauline Gower (far right in photo) who led the women's section of the ATA: "Every woman should learn to fly."

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Pauline Gower deserves a special place not just in the history of aviation but in the history of this country’s fight against fascism in the 1940s. For it was her quiet determination that ultimately enabled over 160 women to fly for the ATA, breaking down gender barriers in the process and allowing many highly experienced female pilots to perform the vital function of transporting aircraft to RAF bases and Maintenance Units.

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Outwardly she seemed reserved, even prim, but this disguised an adventurous nature, prompted perhaps by a close encounter with death while she was still a convent school girl. A former bi-plane pilot (a Tiger Moth, of course) and air circus barnstormer, accustomed to taking off from a different airfield every day. And it was the thoughtful Gower who befriended Amy Johnson, when Johnson's fame had begun to ebb, offering the outwardly fearless but sometimes melancholy record breaker a job in the ATA.  

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To a greater or lesser degree, every aviatrix in the ATA owed their golden wings to Pauline Gower. 

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