World War Two Female Pilot’s Bravery to Be Honored

A memorial is planned to commemorate the bravery of a “forgotten” female pilot, near the site where her aircraft crashed during World War Two. Flight Captain Susan Slade, serving with the Air Transport Auxillary (ATA), was flying a Vickers Wellington bomber when it crashed into a field on 14 July 1944, narrowly missing the Gloucestershire village of Great Rissington. Her body was discovered in the wreckage. Sgt Bailea Harrison, an RAF Air Cadet from 136 (Chipping Norton) Squadron, stated she was “heartbroken” after noting the absence of the pilot’s name alongside male counterparts at the church in Little Rissington. With the backing of the Royal British Legion, Sgt Harrison has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a permanent memorial, which is anticipated to be unveiled next summer. Sgt Harrison remarked: “Women were discriminated against heavily [in the 1940s]. I want to do something about that because it did upset me a lot to see no mention of her at all, anywhere.” Eleanor Isabella “Susan” Slade was born in Hong Kong in January 1904 and, as a teenager, moved to Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire. For over ten years, she was employed at a flying club at Heston Aerodrome in west London, where she amassed more than 500 flying hours across numerous aircraft and subsequently won the first all-ladies flying race at Sywell in September 1931. Susan joined the ATA in November 1940, becoming one of more than 160 female pilots. The ATA, with its headquarters located at White Waltham in Berkshire, was formed at the beginning of World War Two to transport new, damaged, and repaired aircraft between factories and airfields. During her three years with the ATA, she piloted over 30 different types of aircraft, including Spitfires and Hurricanes. Catherine Beale, a historical researcher and the wife of Susan’s great-nephew, explained that instruments across different aircraft types performed the same functions but could be located in varying positions. She stated: “You literally had the notebook open on your lap as you taxied down the runway which must have been quite hair-raising.” She added: “In the early days there was no cockpit and you were not allowed to carry a map so you literally had to be able to navigate your way round the country using railway lines and your knowledge of where there were rivers and cities.” On 13 July 1944, Susan was tasked with flying a newly repaired Wellington bomber from RAF Little Rissington to a training unit. Immediately after take-off, the aircraft veered to the right and crashed into a field. A witness report indicated that as the pilot was about to crash, she deliberately attempted to avoid hitting Great Rissington, narrowly averting disaster. Sgt Harrison commented: “Whether it was her intention to veer away from the village or not, she was still very very brave for doing that because she was flying through a war and so it would have been very difficult and terrifying – but she still did it anyway and she still wanted to fly that plane.” Susan was one of 15 women who perished in service with the ATA. Sgt Harrison researched Susan’s life in 2020 as part of a Commonwealth war graves project. She located Susan’s living relatives and, last year, received support from the Royal British Legion to erect a memorial near the crash site. To date, a crowdfunding campaign has collected nearly half of the £2,500 target. The commemorative plaque is anticipated to be unveiled in Upper Rissington in July. Mrs Beale stated that she and her husband were “delighted” when Sgt Harrison contacted them about the plans. She added: “It’s really great that [Susan’s] inspired a much younger person with an interest obviously in flying. I think Susan would be thrilled.”