Bomber Girls

By MJ Foreman

In 1939, with Britain fighting for its life against Nazi Germany, the Air Transport Auxiliary was formed to back up the Royal Air Force. Short on pilots following devastating losses in the Battle of Britain, a solution soon became obvious: bring in the women.

In January 1940, the first eight female pilots ferried planes to Scotland in harsh conditions. By the end of the war, 166 extraordinarily brave young women had joined the ATA. Tossing aside the taboos and gender politics of the time, women including the world-famous aviatrix Amy Johnson made the dangerous journey without the firepower or training afforded to the male pilots.

Battling both a horrendous war against the Nazis and a demoralising socio-political one with the male establishment of the Armed Forces, the Bomber Girls had to wait nearly 70 years before being honoured with medals for their outstanding work and heroism.

Bomber Girls is the inspiring account of the achievements of those 166 women during the Second World War, not only in defending their country, but in breaking new ground for women’s rights. Drawing on exclusive interviews with the veterans of those harrowing years, it is a brilliantly told story of the War’s heroines.