A recording of Isle of Wight Spitfire heroine, Mary Ellis, was featured this morning (Tuesday) on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
The segment featured Mary explaining how when delivering a Spitfire during WWII, British officers did not believe she’d just flown the plane and sent men on board to search for the male pilot.
The recording was shared ahead of the release of four Royal Mail stamps celebrating the ‘Spitfire Women’ – the brave Ferry Pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary.
An impressive record
Mary was among many other brave women who joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) and helped delivered Spitfire and Seafires to the front line during the Second World War.
She achieved an impressive record of aircraft flown (more than 400 planes during WWII) and was also Commandant of Sandown Airport for twenty years from 1950.
Freedom of the IW
In January 2018, Mary was awarded the Freedom of the Isle of Wight.
Sadly, Mary Ellis passed away on 24th July 2018.
Listen again
Listen again via BBC Sounds Website (3rd May – 1 hour and 43 mins in).
See News OnTheWight’s archive on Mary Ellis.
Image: © Thanks to Cam-ARA for use of their image of Mary
