4 August 2014
Tributes have been paid to leading World War II pilot, Lettice Curtis, who died on 21 July at the age of 99.
Curtis, was one of the most remarkable pilots of World War II, flying a wide range of military combat aircraft with the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) and being the first woman to qualify to fly a four-engine bomber. She qualified as a commercial pilot in April 1938, and was working for the Ordnance Survey when, in June 1940, she was approached by the ATA. By the end of the war, when the ATA closed down, Curtis had flown more than 400 heavy bombers, 150 Mosquitos and hundreds of Hurricanes and Spitfires.
Pauline Vahey, Chairman of the BWPA, said, “Lettice Curtis was a founder member of the British Women Pilots’ Association and remained a member until her recent death. A remarkable lady, she gave her time freely to the association, remaining involved and still attending events for over fifty years.”
“Both Lettice and her achievements were quite formidable, particularly in a time when sexism was endemic. She never married, although I have heard there was a sweetheart who died in the war.”
