Rotarians and guests enjoyed a captivating talk by Jane Delamaine, Founder and Director of the Amy Johnson Project, during a special fundraising evening at Kingston Village Hall the other night. In her talk Jane brought to life the inspiring yet somewhat tragic story of Amy Johnson, the pioneering British aviator.
Rotarians and guests enjoyed a captivating talk by Jane Delamaine, Founder and Director of the Amy Johnson Project, during a special fundraising evening at Kingston Village Hall the other night. In her talk Jane brought to life the inspiring yet somewhat tragic story of Amy Johnson, the pioneering British aviator.
After a brief introduction by our President Maxine Blades, Jane took the audience on a journey through Amy’s life – starting with Amy’s formative years around the turn of the 20th century and covering her groundbreaking achievements in aviation – before ending with the ongoing mystery surrounding Amy’s death near Herne Bay.
Born in Hull in 1903, Amy was the eldest of four daughters. Her father was an importer-exporter and she enjoyed a traditional Methodist upbringing and comfortable life. Her school years were marked by an adventurous spirit and an immense passion for sports – traits that earned her a reputation as a tomboy. An unfortunate accident at the age of 14 left her with facial injuries and a lisp, yet this only strengthened her resolve to live boldly.
From an early age, Amy dreamed of escaping the confines of her traditional life. “Once an aeroplane appeared on screen…that aeroplane seemed to offer the chance of escape for which I was clearly looking,” she wrote. Her desire for independence led to a strained relationship with her family, particularly due to her romance starting at the age of 18 with an older Swiss businessman, Hans Arregar.
Defying her family’s disapproval, Amy moved to Sheffield and studied economics, later taking a position as a shorthand typist. But life at home remained difficult due to ongoing family tensions over her relationship.
In 1927, faced with an ultimatum from her father to end the relationship or move out, Amy chose the latter. She worked as a shop assistant selling ribbons at Peter Jones in London before finding employment as a secretary at a solicitor’s office. From the window where she lived she would watch planes in the sky, admiring their freedom. “I envied those pilots,” she would write.
By 1928, Amy’s relationship with Hans had ended, fuelling her determination to return to her first love: aviation. That year, she visited Stag Lane Aerodrome, marking the start of what she called “Part Two” of her life.
Amy’s first experience in a plane had proved “a disappointment” – but this didn’t put her off. She began flying lessons – although she didn’t impress her instructor who declared she would never make a pilot. It seems that landing was a particular challenge!
Despite struggling with her flying skills, Amy’s interest in engineering grew. She found a mentor in Jack Humphries, a chief engineer who taught her about aircraft mechanics and later remarked, “I knew she was born to be an engineer.” Despite encountering significant prejudice as a female in a male-dominated field, Amy became the first British woman to earn a ground engineer’s license in 1929. On the 6th of July 1929 she got her pilot’s licence.
However, not long after Amy was to experience a devastating blow: her younger sister, who she had been fond of, committed suicide. It was an event that would make Amy even more determined to pursue her own path in life.
Despite financial difficulties, Amy dreamed of flying solo to Australia – perhaps spurred on by a reporter who said she would be the first woman to fly the Atlantic. As a result of writing an abundance of letters she managed to secure sponsorship from Castrol Oil and acquired a second-hand plane, which she painted as a tribute to her family.
In 1930, with just ten months of flying experience (none of which was outside the UK), Amy set off on her daring 19-day journey to Australia, undeterred by reports of fog and other dangers. “She had neither the skill nor experience to survive the trip” said Jane – but Amy never doubted herself. She would fly for around 10 hours each day and then land; after overhauling her engine she would grab some food and get some rest before setting off again. She made around 15 stops on route to Australia.
Amy’s lack of experience showed – she crashed several times, but her dogged persistence impressed people worldwide. “I had one very unpleasant moment,” she later recalled, describing a harrowing flight through a sandstorm when dust and sand covered her goggles, leaving her terrified. Somehow, she pushed through.
On arrival in Darwin, Australia, Amy was received a hero’s welcome – her great accomplishment had made her an overnight sensation. It was said that “she started life as a typist and landed a heroine”. In 1930, she received a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) from King George V and was celebrated as an “ordinary girl” who had achieved something “truly extraordinary”.
Amy continued to break records throughout the 1930s and spoke of her innate love of adventure. She also championed women in engineering, serving for a while as President of the Women’s Engineering Society. However, she detested public life – so much so that a one point she had to go to a nursing home. (This proved fortunate in a way as it meant that she was not on the R101 airship that crashed and killed 48 people.) In February 1932 Amy collapsed and she had to have a hysterectomy that would alter her life.
In 1932, Amy married fellow aviator Jim Mollison. Jim is credited with the iconic aviator image that people have of Amy. The world was captivated by her bravery, and she became a much-loved public figure, though she continued to find the immense attention overwhelming and it proved detrimental to both her health and wellbeing. “I would have been happier if I had never ridden an aeroplane and I had never been born Amy Johnson,” she later admitted, reflecting on the pressures of fame. The press could often be intrusive and cruel – gatecrashing her wedding to Jim and later calling her a “Gimme Gimme” girl due to the many gifts she was offered and accepted.
All was not well in Amy’s marriage and her relationship with Jim soon soured due to his constant drinking and womanising. The couple divorced in 1938, with Amy later remarking that Jim had been her undoing.
When World War II began the company that she worked for closed down and Amy had little choice but to join the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), ferrying aircraft from factories to airfields. Although her role was downplayed, she remained patriotic and committed during this time.
Tragically, on January 5, 1941, during a routine ATA ferry flight, her plane went down in poor weather over the Thames Estuary near Herne Bay. Witnesses reported seeing a woman struggling in the water, calling out “hurry, please hurry”. Although vessels reached her location, she disappeared beneath the waves before she could be rescued. The woman’s body wasn’t recovered at the time, though some of Amy’s belongings were found. Contradictory accounts from eye witnesses and from the Admiralty versus the Ministry helped spark rumours about the crash that remain to this day.
The mystery of her death has only deepened public fascination with Amy Johnson. Conspiracy theories have circulated, with some claiming that another body was seen in the water that day, although no evidence has confirmed these claims. In 1961, partial remains were found in Herne Bay, but a six-month investigation concluded they belonged to an unknown woman.
Jane, through the Amy Johnson Project (which is based in Herne Bay), is committed to preserving Amy’s legacy; during her talk she showed pictures of Amy and of various artefacts to illustrate Amy’s story – often using Amy’s own words to illustrate her points.
The Amy Johnson project has three goals: to celebrate Amy’s life and achievements, to search for further evidence about her death, and to build on Amy’s legacy, ensuring that her story is remembered and that she continues to inspire others. One of the project’s greatest achievements has been to mark the anniversary of Amy’s death with two statues – one in Hull, and one in Herne Bay. Discovery this year of a small part of what might have been Amy’s plane was described by Jane as “an incredibly exciting find”. Jane also hopes to have DNA tests performed on the remains of the unknown woman.
Jane listed numerous books and films – and even a song – about Amy and she described artefacts thought to be from Amy’s final journey that have been secured for display at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum in Hawkinge. Jane works with a team who are restoring an “Airspeed Oxford” plane, the type Amy was flying when she died, and “Amy Johnson: Last Flight” by Jenny Lockyer will be performed at Herne Bay’s Little Theatre next year. There are ongoing plans to mark significant anniversaries, including a special event for the centenary of Amy’s flight in 2030. “Amy underestimated her impact on the world,” remarked Jane.
In summary, Amy Johnson remains an iconic figure whose impact on aviation and women’s role in society is immeasurable. Jane described Amy as “one of the world’s first social influencers”. Despite the challenges Amy faced during her life and career, Jane takes comfort in Amy’s own words: “We must all finish our lives sometime, and I infinitely prefer this end to the flu or senile decay, rather grieve if I never have the chance to try.”
Jane’s engaging talk received warm applause and brought a delightful evening to a close. The event was seamlessly organized and catered for by Past President Stephen Thompson and his wife, Sue Thompson, along with their dedicated team of helpers – Peter and Brenda Hermitage, Tony and Jane Loughran, and Jennie Parker. The evening concluded with a fun raffle, enthusiastically overseen by Peter, that kept the proceedings lively.
We’re thrilled to share that the evening raised nearly £1,250 for the club’s funds – a “fantastic result,” as President Maxine described it. She extended her thanks to all who helped or came along to make the event such a success.
You can find out more about the Amy Johnson project from its website here.
Picture: Jane Delamaine, pictured at the start of her talk. Picture credit: Rotary Club of Canterbury.
