Atlantic Furies
The women who risked everything to be the first to fly
By Midge Gillies
Published by Scribe
RRP $37.99 in paperback | ISBN 9781761380570
Pushing back against the restrictions of the day, a small group of adventurous women challenged each other to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by plane.
Author Midge Gillies has uncovered the stories of these six female aviators who battled against the odds to be able to fly:
- Elsie Mackay
- Lady Anne Savile
- Frances Grayson
- Ruth Elder
- Amelia Earhart, and
- Mabel Boll.
Of these names, it is likely that only that of Amelia Earhart is recognised today as a pioneer of women aviators.
Itās easy to forget that, in the early twentieth century, the dream of crossing the Atlantic by air was as potent as putting a man on the moon would be fifty years later.
But many people believed it should not be an ambition for women who were considered too fragile and lacking the skills to endure the gruelling conditions of flying long distances. It would take women of extraordinary courage who were willing to break societyās unwritten rules.
Gillies has thoroughly researched her subjects and their private lives, revealing the lengths to which they were driven in their ambitious undertaking. Some had lied to their families in order not to be stopped, others duped the press about their intentions and, ultimately, three lost their lives, but each pushed the boundaries of the possible.
These women were the pioneers of aviation. They paved the way for the women pilots who followed in their footsteps. They were, in every sense of the word, trail-blazing.
Full marks to the author Midge Gilles for unearthing their long-forgotten stories.
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For more information about the author and her books, go to https://midgegillies.com
