PAULINE GOWER made huge strides in the history of women's aviation. Gaining her pilot’s licence at 20, she set up the first female joyriding business in 1931, with award-winning engineer Dorothy Spicer, and took up 33,000 passengers, clocking up more than 2,000 hours overall.
In 1940 Pauline was appointed Commandant of the inaugural women’s section of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) and achieved equal pay for her women pilots. She enabled them to fly ‘Anything to Anywhere’, including Tiger Moths, Hurricanes, Wellingtons and – their firm favourite – the Spitfire. Read more in Alison's biography here. 'A compelling narrative... An eminently readable book on an outstanding aviator.' – The Aeroplane 'A magnificent and most readable effort' – Medal News |
Sisters in Spitfires
ALISON HILL's well-received biography - Pauline Gower, Pioneering Leader of the Spitfire Women was published by The History Press in September 2022. Pauline Gower's life and achievements in aviation, both in the pioneering age of the 1930s and as Commandant of the women's section of the ATA during WW2, deserve to be remembered. This new book outlines her significant contribution and lasting legacy for women in aviation and features interviews with contemporary women pilots, highlighting achievements of members of the British Women Pilots' Association (BWPA). – Sharon Nicholson, BWPA Chairwoman Alison's poetry has appeared in a wide range of magazines, websites and anthologies. 'To a Girl on Platform Three' was nominated by SOUTH for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem and her first full collection, Slate Rising (Indigo Dreams, 2014) was nominated for the TS Eliot Prize. Her third poetry collection Sisters in Spitfires (2015), supported by the Arts Council, celebrates the lives and flights of the 164 women pilots of the ATA. Please Email or use the contact form for a signed copy. |
