Spitfire pilot

Born: February 2, 1917;

Died: July 24, 2018

MARY Ellis, who has died aged 101, was one of the last of the "Spitfire girls". She flew over 400 Spitfires and 76 different aircrafts during the Second World War.

Principally, as a member of Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), she delivered Spitfires and Wellington bombers to the front line from the manufacturers and been passed as ready for combat. She flew unarmed Spitfires without a radio and with no navigational aids – her only ‘instruments’ were a compass and a stop watch. She had a conventional road map as a navigational aid and flew in any weather.

Throughout the war, Ellis displayed fearless and determined courage. Present-day historians have written how the front-line squadrons manning such vital aerodromes as Biggin Hill could not have operated without the work of pilots such as Ellis.

Lord Beaverbrook, the Minister of Productions said of ATA in 1945, “Just as the Battle of Britain is the accomplishment and achievement of the RAF, likewise it can be declared that the ATA sustained and supported them in the battle. They were soldiers fighting in the struggle just as completely as if they had been engaged on the battlefront.”

Mary Ellis (née Wilkins) was born in Oxfordshire near Brize Norton aerodrome and learnt to fly in her youth. She had a sister and three brothers and attended Burford High School.

Her father was a farmer and took his daughter up in a de Havilland Moth biplane in 1925. She loved speed. In her autobiography she wrote, “I am passionate about anything fast and furious. I always have been from the age of three and I always knew I would fly. The day I stepped into a Spitfire was a complete joy and it was the most natural thing in the world.”

Ellis had her first flying lesson as a teenager at Witney and Oxford Aero Club and flew often for pleasure. She soon gained her flying licence and recalled of her early experiences at the controls, “The joy of going solo for the first time was tremendous.”

At the beginning of the war, women were not allowed to fly military aircraft but that changed in 1940. Ellis joined ATA (dubbed affectionately the Atagirls) in 1941 after hearing an advert for women pilots on the radio.

Ellis initially attended the Central Flying School and from 1942-46 she was a crucial member of ATA serving with unflinching loyalty and courage. She and her colleagues lived in one of the 14 ‘ferry ports’ scattered around the country – one was in Lossiemouth.

Initially, their principal duties included ferrying medical supplies, newspapers, mail and hospital patients about the country. In 1940 that changed and ATA became an integral part of the management of the war.

Their main job was to deliver military aircraft to and from desperate RAF bases and it was a demanding schedule. Ellis might deliver four aircrafts a day – not only Spitfires but also cumbersome and demanding aircrafts like Wellington bombers and co-piloted Lancasters.

She had a strict daily schedule. She was on duty for 13 successive days with two days leave - the routine seldom varied. She attended an early morning meeting, was handed ‘delivery chits’ and was in the air within minutes.

She came close to death several times, including being shot at over Bournemouth and nearly colliding with another Spitfire in the fog. On another delivery a German fighter pilot flew alongside her, spotted she was a woman, and did not open fire.

Ellis once landed and taxied a massive Wellington to its berth at an RAF airfield and clamoured from the cockpit. She was greeted by the ground crew who asked her where the pilot was. “I’m the pilot,” she said. The crew searched the Wellington only to find she was telling the truth.

After the war, Ellis was seconded to the RAF and was one of the first women to fly the Gloster Meteor, one of Britain's first jets. She moved to the Isle of Wight and in 1950 was appointed manager of Sandown Airport which she managed for 20 years with typical enthusiasm. She increased the flights to and from Europe and was the UK’s first female air commandant.

In recent years Ellis was a popular figure at many of the Battle of Britain celebrations. She talked of her years of service in a calm and dignified manner adding: “I’m nothing special, I’m just ordinary.”

In 2017 Ellis accepted the position of commodore of the ATA Association and was awarded the freedom of the Isle of Wight. She met Theresa May at Downing Street and was guest of honour at the annual festival of remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.

Ellis appeared in a BBC documentary marking the 100th anniversary of the formation of the RAF, which was presented by Ewan McGregor and his brother, Colin. At RAF Brize Norton there is a memorial tree with a plaque that pays tribute to Ellis and another local Atagirl.

In 2016 her memoir, A Spitfire Girl, was published. Just two weeks ago she attended the London premiere of the film Spitfire and cheerfully waved when the audience gave her a standing ovation at the end of the film.

In 1961 Ellis married fellow pilot Donald Ellis; he died in 2009.

ALASDAIR STEVEN