An exciting week for BWPA Heritage! (News from the Archives)
Surely the archives cannot be a source of excitement!
In the past two weeks, I have found several auction items on eBay which are related to Mary Southworth. This was of particular interest as Mary Southworth was one of the founders of the BWPA and served on the first committee that was formed on 10th May 1955.
The material offered over several lots in the eBay auction covered her early life, engineering apprenticeship with de Havilland in Hatfield, and her civilian flying from learning to fly, through to flying as a commercial pilot. It also included her logbook, flying as a member of the RAFVR (Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve) and papers relating to the formation of the BWPA. Unfortunately, I was outbid in the last second on the items relating to her RAFVR flying, which included her RAFVR logbook. Mary had also been one of the founders of the BWPA and served on its Committee from the very beginning.
Mary in her RAFVR uniform in front of Chipmunk WB643, quite likely at the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Review of the RAF at RAF Odiham.
My first look at the items when I received them did not disappoint. From the documents, newspaper cuttings and other papers, I have been able to sketch out some of her life, confirmed by a speech which she gave at the BWPA meeting in Hope House on November 15th 1955. This speech gave an account of the difficulties that confronted women who tried to make flying a profession in post-war years. This was very much from her personal experience.
Mary Southworth had somehow managed to persuade her parents to pay the £400 in fees to de Havilland for a five-year engineering apprenticeship. Her brother Vincent, who was a Sergeant Air Gunner of the RAFVR had been killed in an accident on May 17th 1945, so her parents may have had some reservations in supporting Mary’s desire to follow a career in aviation. De Havilland offered subsidised flying lessons, and two years after starting her apprenticeship, Mary had her first lesson in a Tiger Moth, G-ALIX at Panshanger. I will write much more about Mary Southworth in the future, including extracts from her speech.
A photo of G-ALIX.
I have to add some words about how the BWPA was formed, as for the first time, we have a copy of the first newsletter of the Association dated June 1955, in addition to a note dated 10th May 1955 about the formation of the British Women Pilots’ Association at the premises of The Women’s Engineering Society. While I am still not certain about the actual date the Association was formed, the first newsletter adds that “The idea of forming the BWPA was first conceived by a group of women pilot enthusiasts at the recent sherry party given by the Women’s Engineering Society to award the Amy Johnson Memorial Scholarship.” At least we now have far more information than previously.
As to the provenance of the items, I was told by the seller that they all came in a couple of lots from a house clearance and mixed junk auction at Watsons of Heathfield, Sussex, presumably a clearance of Mary Southworth’s estate.
Mary alongside a Taylorcraft Auster 5, G-AKPI, which she flew in Great Yarmouth when working for Anglian Air Charter Ltd.
Finally, I would like to say that if you have or you know of anybody who has material relevant to the BWPA heritage, please contact me using the archive@BWPA.co.uk email address. I am always looking for material to enhance the archive.
Article by Tad Dippel, BWPA Heritage Lead
