Once again this weekend we were treated to the stirring tale of the ‘Few’ who won the Battle of Britain with hardly a mention of those who toiled day and night to give them the tools.

Little mention was made of the women who worked in the Shadow factories building Spitfires which gave the RAF the slight edge they desperately needed to overcome the German fighter onslaught.

Millions of conscripted, single, women between the age of 18 and 50, started work at 7am Monday, working through to 6pm, five days a week, and when output frequently fell due to late parts deliveries, were expected to work from 7pm Friday to 7am Saturday to catch up, a total of 67 hours a week.

Then came the flying ATA women, ‘Anything to anywhere’, responsible
for delivering many of the thousands of Spitfires to ‘any bases anywhere’ in need as well as our light, medium and heavy bombers.

The all-female flying crews included the much-respected, 1930s multi-record holder, and lone long distance Britain to Australia record breaker, Amy Johnston who sadly lost her life while delivering a plane in terrible weather in 1941.

And so once again we put up with the all-male saga of how they won the war.

It’s interesting to note that Hitler, who would not let German women work, lost the war while Britain, who had 6.5million women toiling away by 1945 on the war effort, won the war.
DOUGLAS MILLS
Address supplied