n
Pauline Gower MBE was the pioneering leader of the Spitfire women during the Second World War.
n
nGaining her pilot’s license at just 18, she set up the first female joyriding business in 1931 with engineer Dorothy Spicer and took 33,000 passengers up for a whirl, clocking up more than 2,000 hours. She went on to lead the inaugural women’s section of the Air Transport Auxiliary and achieved equal pay for her women pilots.
n
nShe enabled them to fly ‘Anything to Anywhere’, including Hurricanes, Wellingtons and their favorite, the Spitfire. Determined, diplomatic and always fair, Pauline was a clear leader of her time. She died after giving birth, at only 36; a life cut short but one of significant achievements, leaving a lasting legacy for women in aviation.
n
