Mary Ellis died on Tuesday aged 101. Sometimes the death of a remarkable person that you have never heard of can pass you by and this lady is one of those such people. This is copied from the BBC News, I know I could have possibly posted a link but she was quite a lady so I do hope you all don't mind me posting some fascinating life events. The news item has photo's which I can't somehow copy over.
Mary was one of the first women to fly Spitfires, heavy bombers and jet aircraft. She joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in 1941. Based at an all-women's ATA pool in Hamble, Hampshire, she recalled that she flew "about 1,000" aircraft during the war including 76 different types.
She was shot at over Bournemouth, possibly by friendly fire, and had a near-miss as she landed in fog at the same time as another Spitfire coming in the opposite direction and also survived a crash-landing when the undercarriage on her Spitfire jammed, causing the engine to overheat.
When the ATA was disbanded in 1945, Mary Wilkins was seconded to the RAF, where she became one of the first women to fly Britain's first jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor.
She went on to become manager of Sandown Airport on the Isle of Wight in the 1950s and 1960s, hiring a former ATA colleague, Vera Strodl, as chief flying instructor. Away from the airport, she indulged a love of fast cars, entering and winning sports car rallies, and ran a fashion boutique.
"She is the most glamorous person I know, enjoys fashion and always wears nail polish. Very strong on etiquette - the right china, the right cutlery, your manners, she could write a book on that." Mary married Don Ellis, a fellow pilot, in 1961, and began to host "legendary parties" her niece Rosemarie Martin recalled before Mary's death.
She continued to live in the marital home beside the runway at Sandown after his death in 2009.
At the age of 101, she was still driving daily to local shops.
In November 2016, she and fellow ATA pilot Joy Lofthouse were honoured in front of members of the Royal Family at the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
"Being an ATA pilot was fantastic," Mary Ellis recalled.
"Up in the air on your own. And you can do whatever you like. I flew 400 Spitfires. And occasionally I would take one up and go and play with the clouds.
"I would like to do it all over again. There was a war on but otherwise it was absolutely wonderful."
RIP Mary, what a life you had