Pauline Gower - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Pauline Mary de Peauly Gower (1910–1947), married name Pauline Fahie, was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

pilot and writer who headed the female branch of the Air Transport Auxiliary

Air Transport Auxiliary

The Air Transport Auxiliary was a British World War II civilian organisation that ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between UK factories, assembly plants, transatlantic delivery points, Maintenance Units , scrap yards, and active service squadrons and airfields—but not to...

during the Second World War.

Daughter of MP

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

Sir Robert Gower

Robert Vaughan Gower

Sir Robert Vaughan Gower FRGS, OBE was a British solicitor and Conservative Party politician from Kent. He sat in the House of Commons from 1924 to 1945.-Early life:...

, she first flew with Alan Cobham

Alan Cobham

Sir Alan John Cobham, KBE, AFC was an English aviation pioneer.A member of the Royal Flying Corps in World War I, Alan Cobham became famous as a pioneer of long distance aviation. After the war he became a test pilot for the de Havilland aircraft company, and was the first pilot for the newly...

and was fascinated by flying. In August 1931 she established a joy-riding and air taxi service in Kent. As well as flying, she wrote for Girl's Own Paper
Girl's Own Paper
Girl's Own Paper was a British story paper catering for girls and young women, published from 1880 until 1956.- Publishing history :The first weekly number of the Girl's Own Paper appeared on January 3, 1880. As with its male counterpart the Boy's Own Paper, the magazine was published by the...

and Chatterbox and published a collection of poetry, Piffling Poems for Pilots, in 1934. As a writer she was acquainted with W. E. Johns

W. E. Johns

William Earl Johns was an English pilot and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the name Captain W. E. Johns. He is best remembered as the creator of the ace pilot and adventurer Biggles.-Early life:...

whose character Worrals

Worrals

Flight Officer Joan Worralson, better known as "Worrals", is a fictional character created by W. E. Johns, more famous for his series of books about Biggles.Worrals was a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in the Second World War...

was based on herself as well as Amy Johnson

Amy Johnson

Amy Johnson CBE, was a pioneering English aviator. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, Johnson set numerous long-distance records during the 1930s...

.

In 1938 she was appointed a civil defence commissioner in London with the Civil Air Guard

Civil Air Guard

The Civil Air Guard was a 1938 scheme in which the UK government subsidized training fees for members of flying clubs, in return for future military call-up commitments.-History:...

. That year her work on women in aviation—The ATA: Women with Wings—was published. On the outbreak of the Second World War, Gower made use of her high-level connections to propose the establishment of a women's section in the new Air Transport Auxiliary

Air Transport Auxiliary

—the ATA would be responsible for ferrying military aircraft from factory or repair facility to storage unit or operational unit—to the authorities.

Gower was appointed as the head of the women's branch, and commenced the selection and testing of women pilots, the first eight being appointed by the ATA on 1 January 1940. Early members included ice-hockey international Mona Friedlander and former ballet dancer Rona Rees. Later members included Amy Johnson

Amy Johnson

Amy Johnson CBE, was a pioneering English aviator. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, Johnson set numerous long-distance records during the 1930s...

and Lord Runciman

Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford

Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford PC was a prominent Liberal, later National Liberal politician in the United Kingdom from the 1900s until the 1930s.-Background:...

's daughter Margaret Fairweather. She received the MBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

for her services and received a Harmon Trophy

Harmon Trophy

The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix , and aeronaut...

award posthumously in 1950.

Gower married Wing Commander Bill Fahie in 1944. She died in 1947 giving birth to twin sons.

Further reading