Mary Ellis, a “pioneering aviator” who was one of the last surviving female World War II pilots, has died at the age of 101. Ellis helped deliver bombers to the front line as part of the UK’s Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) during the war. UK Air Chief Marshal Stephen Hillier mourned her on Twitter. “Another terrible loss,” Hillier wrote. “Mary Ellis, pioneering female pilot, an inspiration to generations. I’ll always remember her proudly reminding us at RAF100 events that she was older than the RAF itself! RIP Mary.”
Ellis, then Mary Wilkins, joined the ATA in 1941 after hearing a radio commercial. She flew around 1,000 planes over four years including 400 Spitfires and 47 Wellington bombers. After the war, she moved to the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England where she managed the local airport from 1950 to 1970. She married fellow pilot Don Ellis in 1961, and lived with him until his death in 2009.
Speaking about her experience of being one of the few female pilots in wartime, she recalled that “a lot of people stood by and watched me take off.” In an interview with Forces News in April she said, “When I went to collect my first Spitfire the man helping me with my parachute asked, ‘how many of these have you flown before?’ and I said, ‘none, this is the first one’ and he nearly fell off the aeroplane.” Asked which plane was her favorite to fly, she said, “The Spitfire as everyone knows is a delightful aeroplane. To fly it is absolutely fantastic.”
Former RAF serviceman John Nichol described Ellis as a “truly remarkable lady”. “Very sad to hear that WW2 pilot Mary Ellis has died aged 101,” Nichol wrote on Twitter. “A truly remarkable lady, she flew 400 Spitfires and 76 different types of aircraft during WW2. Rest in peace Mary; you truly deserve it. Thank you,” he added.
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