Amy Johnson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Johnson,c. 1930 | |
| Born | (1903-07-01)1 July 1903 |
| Disappeared | 5 January 1941(1941-01-05) (aged 37) Thames Estuary, nearHerne Bay,Kent, England |
| Status | Believed to have died in anaviation accident |
| Education | Boulevard Municipal Secondary School |
| Alma mater | University of Sheffield |
| Occupations | |
| Spouse | |
| Awards | Segrave Trophy (1932) |
Amy JohnsonCBE (born 1 July 1903 – disappeared 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo fromLondon to Australia.
Flying solo or with her husband,Jim Mollison, she set many long-distance records during the 1930s. In 1933,Katharine Hepburn's character in the filmChristopher Strong was inspired by Johnson. She flew in theSecond World War as a part of theAir Transport Auxiliary. Her aircraft crashed into theThames Estuary: she died after bailing out. Because her body was never recovered, the precise cause of her death—drowning,hypothermia or being pulled into a warship's moving propellers, is unknown and has been a subject of discussion since the possibility offriendly fire was raised in 1999.
Born in 1903 inKingston upon Hull,East Riding of Yorkshire, Amy Johnson was the daughter of Amy Hodge, granddaughter of William Hodge, a Mayor of Hull, and John William Johnson whose family were fish merchants in the firm of Andrew Johnson, Knudtzon and Company. She was the eldest of three sisters, the next in age being Irene who was a year younger.[1]
Johnson was educated at Boulevard Municipal Secondary School, laterKingston High School, and theUniversity of Sheffield, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.[2] She then worked in London as secretary to a solicitor, William Charles Crocker. She was introduced to flying as a hobby, gaining an aviator's certificate, No. 8662,[3] on 28 January 1929, and a pilot's "A" licence, No. 1979, on 6 July 1929, both at the London Aeroplane Club under the tutelage of CaptainValentine Baker. In 1929 she became the first British woman to obtain a ground engineer's "C" licence.[4]
Johnson was a friend and collaborator ofFred Slingsby whose Yorkshire based company,Slingsby Aviation ofKirkbymoorside,North Yorkshire, became the UK's most famous glider manufacturer. Slingsby helped foundYorkshire Gliding Club atSutton Bank and during the 1930s she was an early member and trainee.[5][6]
Johnson got the money to buy her first aircraft from her father, who was always one of her strongest supporters, andLord Wakefield.[2] She bought a secondhandde Havilland DH.60 Gipsy Moth G-AAAH and named itJason after her father's business trade mark.[7][Note 1]
In 1930, Johnson achieved worldwide recognition when she became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. FlyingJason, she leftCroydon Airport, Surrey, on 5 May and landed atDarwin, Northern Territory on 24 May, a distance of 11,000 miles (18,000 km).[8] Six days after, she damaged her aircraft while landing downwind atBrisbane airport and flew toSydney with Captain Frank Follett while the aircraft was repaired.Jason was later flown toMascot, Sydney, byCaptain Lester Brain.[9][10]Jason is now on permanent display in the Flight Gallery of theScience Museum in London.
She was awarded theHarmon Trophy and also theCBE inGeorge V's1930 Birthday Honours in recognition of this achievement, and was honoured with the No. 1 civil pilot's licence under Australia's 1921 Air Navigation Regulations.[11][12][Note 2]
Johnson next bought ade Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth G-AAZV which she namedJason II. In July 1931, she and co-pilot Jack Humphreys became the first people to fly from London toMoscow in one day, completing the 1,760 miles (2,830 km) journey in approximately 21 hours. From there, they continued acrossSiberia and on toTokyo, setting a record time for Britain to Japan.[13]
In 1932, Johnson married Scottish pilotJim Mollison, who had proposed to her during a flight together eight hours after they had first met. In July 1932, Johnson set a solo record for a flight from London toCape Town, South Africa in the Puss Moth G-ACABDesert Cloud, breaking her new husband's record.[13] De Havilland Co andCastrol Oil featured this flight in advertising campaigns.[14]
In July 1933, Johnson and Mollison attempted to fly thede Havilland DH.84 Dragon IG-ACCV, namedSeafarer,[13] nonstop fromPendine Sands,South Wales, heading toFloyd Bennett Field inBrooklyn, New York.[15] They hoped to then flySeafarer toBaghdad in an attempt to gain the record for a non-stop long-distance flight. Running low on fuel and flying in the dark, the pair made the decision to land short of New York. Spotting the lights of Bridgeport Municipal Airport (nowSikorsky Memorial Airport inStratford, Connecticut) they circled it five times before crash landing some distance outside the field in a drainage ditch. Both were thrown from the aircraft but suffered only cuts and gashes.[16] After recuperating, the pair were feted by New York society and received aticker tape parade downWall Street.[4]
In 1934, the Mollisons set a record time for a flight from Britain toIndia in ade Havilland DH.88 Comet namedBlack Magic, as part of the England to AustraliaMacRobertson Air Race. They were forced to retire from the race atAllahabad because of engine trouble[13]
In September 1934, Johnson, under her married name of Mollison, became the youngest president of theWomen's Engineering Society, having been vice-president since 1934.[17] Johnson succeededElizabeth M. Kennedy in the role.[18] Johnson was succeeded as president byEdith Mary Douglas.[19] She was active in the society until her death.[20]
On 4 May 1936, Johnson made her last record-breaking flight, starting from Gravesend Airport and regaining her Britain toSouth Africa record inG-ADZO, aPercival Gull Six.[21] In 1936, she was awarded the Gold Medal of theRoyal Aero Club.[4]
She further honed her gliding skills with the Midland Gliding Club, based in Shropshire, which she joined in October 1937, and remained an active flying member until gliding was suspended following the outbreak of theSecond World War.[22] In 1938, Johnson overturned her glider, when landing after a display atWalsall Aerodrome in England, but was not seriously hurt.[23] Following the accident, she told reporters, "I still declare that gliding is the safest form of flying."[22]
She divorced Mollison in 1937 and reverted to her maiden name.[24] Johnson began to explore other ways to make a living through business ventures, journalism and fashion. She modelled clothes for the designerElsa Schiaparelli and created for her a travelling bag sold under her own name.[25]
In 1939, Johnson found work flying with the Portsmouth, Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation Company, piloting short flights across theSolent and flying as a target for searchlight batteries and anti-aircraft gunners to practise on.[26]
During the Second World War, Johnson's employing company's aircraft were taken over by theAir Ministry in March 1940. She was served a notice of redundancy alongside all other pilots in the company, as all the aircraft were requisitioned for the war effort. She received a week's pay and a further four weeks' pay of £40 as a redundancy package.[27]
Two months later, Johnson joined the newly formedAir Transport Auxiliary (ATA), which transportedRoyal Air Force aircraft around the country. She rose tofirst officer under the command of her friend and fellow pilotPauline Gower.[28] Her former husband also flew for the ATA throughout the war.[29] Johnson described a typical day in her life in the ATA in a humorous article, published posthumously in 1941, forThe Woman Engineer journal.[20]
In a last letter to her friend,Caroline Haslett, on New Year's Day 1941, Johnson wrote: "I hope the gods will watch over you this year, and I wish you the best of luck (the only useful thing not yet taxed!)".[20] On 5 January 1941, while flying anAirspeed Oxford for the ATA fromPrestwick viaRAF Squires Gate toRAF Kidlington nearOxford, it is suggested that Johnson ran out of fuel in adverse weather conditions.[30]
Five hours after her departure, a convoy of wartime vessels in the Thames Estuary spotted a parachute coming down and saw a person alive in the water calling for help, witnesses describing the voice as female.[31] Conditions were poor: there was a heavy sea and a strong tide, snow was falling and it was intensely cold.[32] Lt Cmdr Walter Fletcher, the Captain of HMSHaslemere,[Note 3] navigated his ship to attempt a rescue.[32] The crew of the vessel threw ropes out to the person but they were unable to reach them and they were lost under the ship. A number of witnesses believed there was a second body in the water.[31]
Fletcher dived in and swam out to this,[clarification needed] rested on it for a few minutes and then let go. When the lifeboat reached him he was unconscious and as a result of the intense cold he died in hospital days later.[32][33] Johnson's watertight flying bag, her log book and cheque book later washed up, and were recovered near the crash site.[34][25]
A memorial service was held for Johnson in the church ofSt Martin-in-the-Fields on 14 January 1941. Lt Cmdr Walter Fletcher was posthumously awarded theAlbert Medal in May 1941.[32]
In 1999, it was reported that Johnson's death may have been caused byfriendly fire.[35] Tom Mitchell, fromCrowborough,Sussex, claimed to have shot Johnson's aircraft down when she twice failed to give the correct identification code during the flight. Mitchell explained how the aircraft was sighted and contacted by radio. A request was made for the signal. She gave the wrong one twice. "Sixteen rounds of shells were fired and the plane dived into the Thames Estuary. We all thought it was an enemy plane until the next day when we read the papers and discovered it was Amy. The officers told us never to tell anyone what happened."[35]
In 2016, Alec Gill, a historian, claimed that the son of a ship's crew member stated that Johnson had died because she was sucked into the blades of the ship's propellers. The crewman did not observe this to occur, but believes it is true.[36]
As a member of the ATA with no known grave and her body never recovered, Johnson is commemorated, under the name of Amy V. Johnson, by theCommonwealth War Graves Commission on theAir Forces Memorial atRunnymede.[37]
In June 1930, Johnson's flight to Australia was the subject of a contemporary popular song, "Amy, Wonderful Amy", composed byHoratio Nicholls and recorded byHarry Bidgood,Jack Hylton, Arthur Lally,Arthur Rosebery andDebroy Somers. She was also the guest of honour at the opening of the firstButlins holiday camp, inSkegness in 1936. From 1935 to 1937, Johnson was President of theWomen's Engineering Society.[38]
1929 builtAveling and Porter steam roller No. 12467 was named after Johnson in 1930. One of three steam rollers that was supposed to go to Australia, disappointment with the first engine resulted in the other two staying in the UK, with No. 12467 being sold to the Bilston Corporation,Wolverhampton. The current owner was told by the previous owner that the engine was named after Johnson when she visited the area, not long after the engine arrived. The Steam Roller is preserved in private ownership to this day, and carries the nameplate 'Amy'.
A collection of Amy Johnson souvenirs and mementos was donated by her father toSewerby Hall in 1958. The hall now houses a room dedicated to Amy Johnson in its museum.[39]
In 1974, Harry Ibbetson's statue of Amy Johnson was unveiled in Prospect Street,Hull where a girls' school was named after her (the school closed in 2004).[40]
In 2016, new statues of Johnson were unveiled to commemorate the 75th anniversary of her death. The first, on 17 September, was atHerne Bay, Kent close to the site where she was last seen alive,[41] and the second, on 30 September, was unveiled byMaureen Lipman near Hawthorne Avenue, Hull, close to Johnson's childhood home.[42] In 2017,The Guardian listed this second statue as one of the "best female statues in Britain".[43]
Ablue plaque commemorates Johnson at Vernon Court, Hendon Way, in Childs Hill, London NW2.[44] She is commemorated with a green plaque onThe Avenues, Kingston upon Hull. She is commemorated with another blue plaque inPrinces Risborough where she lived for a year.
Buildings named in Johnson's honour include:
Other tributes to Johnson include a KLM McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 named after her in 1993.[47] After that aircraft was retired, a Norwegian Air UK Boeing 787-9 added a commemorative tail fin in her honour.[48]
"Amy Johnson Avenue" is a main road running northwards from Tiger Brennan Drive, Winnellie, to McMillans Rd, Karama, in Darwin, Australia.
"Amy Johnson Way" is a road linking commercial premises in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK, adjacent to Blackpool Airport. It is also the name of a road in Clifton Moor,York.
"Johnson Road" is one of the roads built on the site of the formerHeston Aerodrome in west London.
In 2011 theRoyal Aeronautical Society established the annual Amy Johnson Named Lecture[49] to celebrate a century of women in flight[Note 4] and to honour Britain's most famous female aviator.Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive ofEasyJet, delivered the Inaugural Lecture on 6 July 2011 at the Society's headquarters in London. The Lecture is held on or close to 6 July every year to mark the date in 1929 when Amy Johnson was awarded herpilot's licence.
Over a six-month period, inmates ofHull Prison built a full-size model of the Gipsy Moth aircraft used by Johnson to fly solo from Britain to Australia. In February 2017 this went on public display atHull Paragon Interchange.[50]
In 2017,Google commemorated Johnson's 114th birthday with aGoogle Doodle.[51]
In 2017, the airlineNorwegian painted the tail fin of two of its aircraft with a portrait of Johnson. She is one of the company's "British tail fin heroes", joiningQueen singerFreddie Mercury, children's authorRoald Dahl, England's World Cup winning captainBobby Moore and aviation entrepreneur SirFreddie Laker.[52][53]
A mural reading QUEEN OF THE AIR (which was a nickname the British press gave Johnson) was painted inCricklewood railway station to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of women obtaining the right to vote in the UK.[54]
St Mary's Church inBeverley, East Yorkshire announced their intention of installing a stone carving of Amy Johnson as part of a programme of celebrating women in the restoration of the stonework of the medieval church in 2021. The other eight figures will include fellow engineer and WES memberHilda Lyon,Mary Wollstonecraft,Mary Seacole,Marie Curie,Rosalind Franklin,Helen Sharman andAda Lovelace.[55][56][57]
Johnson's life has been the subject of a number of treatments in film and television, some more accurately biographical than others. In 1942, a film of Johnson's life,They Flew Alone, (released in the US asWings and the Woman) was made by director-producerHerbert Wilcox, starringAnna Neagle as Johnson andRobert Newton as Mollison.[58]
Amy! (1980) was an avant-garde documentary written and directed by feminist film theoristLaura Mulvey and semiologist Peter Wollen. A 1984 BBC television filmAmy starredHarriet Walter in the title role. In the 1991, Australian television miniseriesThe Great Air Race, akaHalf a World Away, based on the 1934MacRobertson Air Race, Johnson was portrayed byCaroline Goodall.
Johnson earned a passing mention in other works such as the 2007 British film adaption ofNoel Streatfeild's 1936 novelBallet Shoes, in which the character Petrova is inspired by Johnson in her dreams of becoming an aviator.
In radio, the 2002BBC Radio broadcastThe Typist who Flew to Australia, a play byHelen Cross, presented the theme that Johnson's aviation career was prompted by years of boredom in an unsatisfying job as a typist and sexual adventures including a seven-year affair with a Swiss businessman who married someone else.[59]
In music, Johnson inspired a number of works, including the song "Flying Sorcery" from Scottish singer-songwriterAl Stewart's album,Year of the Cat (1976).[60]A Lone Girl Flier andJust Plain Johnnie (Jack O'Hagan) sung by Bob Molyneux,[61] andJohnnie, Our Aeroplane Girl sung by Jack Lumsdaine.[62]Queen of the Air (2008) by Peter Aveyard is a musical tribute to Johnson.[63] Indie pop bandThe Lucksmiths used a clip of her Australia welcome speech as an intro to their songThe Golden Age of Aviation.
More fictionalised portrayals include aDoctor Who Magazine comic story in 2013 titled "A Wing and a Prayer", in which the time-travelling Doctor encounters Johnson in 1930. He tellsClara Oswald her death is a fixed point in time. Clara realises what's important is that it appears Amy died. They save her from drowning and then take her to the planet Cornucopia.[64]
The characterWorrals in the series of books by CaptainW. E. Johns was modelled on Amy Johnson.[65]
In 2023, screenwriterSally Wainwright, best known forHappy Valley, revealed that she was interested in writing a drama about Johnson but "failed to convince" TV channels.[66]
The photograph was taken at Insein, and shows how the plane was damaged in landing.
information from original catalogue record[permanent dead link]
