Spitfire Girl

By: Jackie Moggridge

Narrated by: Jilly Bond

Jackie Moggridge was just nineteen when World War Two broke out. Determined to do her bit, she joined the Air Transport Auxiliary. Ferrying aircraft from factory to frontline was dangerous work, but there was also fun, friendship and even love in the air. At last the world was opening up to women... or at least it seemed to be.

©1957 Jackie Moggridge (P)2014 W F Howes Ltd

Wonderful story!

As a former Army female helicopter and airplane pilot, it was a wonderful story of a woman pilot who trailed a path for today’s women pilots!

fantastic read

Great narration, and lovely story line. As a young lady pilot I was totally enamoured! I listened to this on my drive to the airport everyday.

Exciting Life

Dolores Theresa Sorour was born in Pretoria South Africa where she gained her “A” flying license as a very young girl. She chose the name “Jackie” for herself after her hockey-playing heroine Jackie Rissik. At age 17 she was the first woman to do a parachute jump in South Africa.

The author tells about going to England in 1938 to obtain her “B” flying license at the Witney Flying Club in Oxford. At the outbreak of War in September 1939, she was grounded along with all flying cub.

Moggridge tells about joining the WAAF and was based in Rye at a radar Station. At the end of July 1940 the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was formed and she was one of the first to obtain a transfer to ATA as a pilot. Jackie was stationed at the Hatfield Ferry Pool and was one of the youngest female pilots.

When the ATA closed down at the end of the War in 1945 she married Reg Moggridge, an Army Captain in Taunton, Devon. The airlines reverted to the pre-war prejudices against women pilots. She raised a family until early in the 1950’s when she obtained her Commercial pilots license
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The author tells about obtaining a job in 1954 to ferry surplus Spitfires from Cypress to the Burmese Air Force in Rangoon, Burma. She flew surplus fighter jet to the Indian Air Force. She was the only female pilots and was definitely flying into danger. You must read the book to learn of her adventures. Her two fellow pilots on this contract job were Mike Townsend and Charles Lamerton. They wrote a biography of Jackie, telling in-depth about this adventure. Jackie does not cover this event in much detail. The name of the biography is “A Woman Pilot”.

In 1958 she became the first woman Captain for Channel Airways. She describes this part of her life in a great deal of detail. She died in 2004. Jackie describes the trails and difficulties, success and frustration of her life in the sky in an easy to read manner with lots of humor. If you are interested in the women of early aviation or World War II, you will enjoy this book. Jilly Bond narrated the book.