They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Monument to First Officer Dora Lang, All Saints Maidenhead Cemetery, Maidenhead, Berkshire, England.
Dora Lang was born on 30th March 1914 to Thomas William Tily, a jobbing gardener, and his wife Amelia Fielding, Shepherd's Bush, Middlesex. Dora flew at several flying clubs and became a Civil Air Guard (CAG). The Civil Air Guard was established in July 1938 to encourage and subsidise pilot training with the prospect of war on the horizon.
In 1935 Dora married Henry Albert Lang, a motor engineer and Civil Air Guard pilot.
After the outbreak of World War Two, Dora enlisted with the WAAF (Women Auxiliary Air Force) and served as an Operations Room Plotter. She applied to join the ATA, Air Transport Auxiliary service after hearing a radio appeal. The ATA was a British civilian organisation responsible for the ferrying of new, damaged, and repaired military aircraft between assembly plants, factories, maintenance units, scrapyards, and delivery points.
 |
| First Officer Dora Lang |
On 2nd March 1944, whilst ferrying damaged a de Havilland Mosquito FB. Mrk VI aircraft with her Flight Engineer Janice Margaret Harrington, on approach to the RAF station at Lasham, Hampshire, Dora undershot her landing. In an attempt to correct her mistake Dora 'opened up' her aircraft and climbed 150ft before the engines stalled. The aircraft then flipped to the left and ploughed into the ground. Dora and Janice were killed instantly.
On Wednesday 8th March 1944 the Daily Mirror reported:
"Two Women Ferry Pilots Die In Crash
Two women ferry pilots were killed while delivering a plane to an aerodrome in Hampshire. They were Mrs. Dora Lang, 29, of Sydney-street, Chelsea, London, S.W., and Miss Janice Maragret Harrington, 23, of The Orchard, Pudnoe-lane (misprint of Ludnoe), Bedford. At yesterday's inquest evidence showed that the aircraft was flying too slow for landing speed. It accelerated and rose sharply, and after stalling, crashed and burst into flames."
"Two Women Ferry Pilots Die In Crash
Two women ferry pilots were killed while delivering a plane to an aerodrome in Hampshire. They were Mrs. Dora Lang, 29, of Sydney-street, Chelsea, London, S.W., and Miss Janice Maragret Harrington, 23, of The Orchard, Pudnoe-lane (misprint of Ludnoe), Bedford. At yesterday's inquest evidence showed that the aircraft was flying too slow for landing speed. It accelerated and rose sharply, and after stalling, crashed and burst into flames."
De Havilland Mosquito FB Mrk VI at Lasham RAF Station 1944.
Thank you for sharing this tragic story, so often the bravery of the women of the ATA to perform the crucial task of keeping airfields supplied with planes during the war has gone unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteMy local cemetery, All Saints Maidenhead Cemetery, has a small ATA section with many of the graves being that of women. With White Waltham Airfield not far away. They were very brave and many of them younger than myself. I couldn't imagine doing what they did to make a difference.
DeleteA sad find in that they were two women helping with the war effort and were killed in an accident
ReplyDeleteMany of the ATA were woman and many of them died whilst trying to transport aircraft to RAF Airfields. They were very brave.
DeleteI always appreciate that you have your Wednesday posts to bring some of these people's stories to light.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing on Taphophile Tragics!