What a pretty maiden during the War and what an inspiration!
Here she is at 92 flying in a (dual seater) Spitfire once again in 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvrlTzeFRKs&feature=youtu.be
Her story and many others' of the World War Two Air Transport Auxiliary are told in the book "The Female Few, Spitfire Heroines" by Jacky Hyams.
(https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/resources/images/publications/9780750968188.jpg)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Female-Few-Spitfire-Transport-Auxiliary/dp/0752480960
Through the darkest days of the Second World War, an elite group of courageous civilian women risked their lives as aerial courier pilots, flying Lancaster bombers, Spitfires and many other powerful war machines in thousands of perilous missions. The dangers these women faced were many: they flew unarmed, without radio and in some cases without instruments, in conditions where even unexpected cloud could mean disaster. In The Female Few, five of these astonishingly brave women tell their awe-inspiring tales of incredible risk, tenacity and sacrifice. Their spirit and fearlessness in the face of death still resonates down the years, and their accounts reveal a forgotten chapter in the history of the Second World War (Jacky Hyams).
Joy Lofthouse quotes
"You didn’t know what type of plane you were going to fly that day. You’d get out of a Tiger Moth after delivery and then into a Wellington bomber. After that, you could be flying a Spitfire."
https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/doing-their-bit-the-female-fighter-pilots-of-world-war-ii/
"The weather was our biggest enemy. There were a couple of times when I thought I'd lost one of my nine lives."
"It really was the best job to have during the war because it was exciting, and we could help the war effort. In many ways we were trailblazers for female pilots in the RAF."
"The Spitfire is such a wonderful plane. It's the nearest thing to having wings of your own and flying."
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/685661/Wimbledon-2016-video-moment-Centre-Court-honoured-pilot-Joy-Lofthouse
She was one of the Few who will be missed by many.
Cheers
Frankie Kam