Women In War - International Bomber Command Centre

Women In Aviation

Helen IBCC — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 14:22:14 +0000

Amy Johnson and Amelia Earhart may be the most famous trailblazing women within the world of early aviation, but there were many others. From the Wright brothers’ sister Katherine, who was awarded the Légion d’honneur, to Mary, Lady Heath, the first woman to pilot a light aircraft from South Africa to England, the history of aviation is peppered with pioneering women who broke down the barriers of this male-dominated field. This is the story of those female aviators: not only the widely celebrated records of Johnson and Earhart, but also the now lesser-known exploits of those such as Mary, Lady Bailey, who was awarded an OBE in 1930. This essential guide also covers the new opportunities carved out for women during the Second World War, the age of space flight and women’s ongoing work in aviation in the modern age of equality.

Published	27 Jun 2019
Format	Paperback


ISBN	9781784423636
Imprint	Shire Publications
Illustrations	Fully illustrated throughout
Dimensions	210 x 149 mm

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Main Force To Mosquito Master Bomber

Helen IBCC — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 12:29:57 +0000

Wing Commander Eric Benjamin was no stranger to danger or excitement. In an action-packed career as part of the RAF Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR), he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice for his bravery under fire. He flew Fairey Battles with No. 150 Squadron during the Battle of France, Main Force Avro Lancasters with No. 61 Squadron during the Battle of Berlin, and De Havilland Mosquitoes as an elite Pathfinder Master Bomber in the latter stages of the war. He survived being shot down on his first operation, when his air gunner was severely wounded, and was among the last RAF aircrew to be evacuated from France in the summer of 1940. He was pulled clear of the mangled wreckage of a Vickers Wellington that crashed in flames during a spell as an instructor, narrowly escaping with his life for a second time, and ‘starred’ as a Flight Commander interviewed for Pathé News after a successful raid on Berlin in 1943. Towards the end of 1944, he achieved his ambition of flying Mosquitoes, and was selected and trained as a Master Bomber, operating as part of No. 54 Base in No. 5 Group and helping to mop up what was left of German industry and military might. It was from one of these sorties that his aircraft failed to return.

Authored by Sean Feast and Eric’s daughter Jeannie, the book includes numerous previously unpublished photographs of Eric, his colleagues, and the aircraft he flew. An inveterate letter writer, Eric once said of flying that there was ‘no greater sport’. He died as he had lived, doing what he loved best.

Pages: 192
Illustrations: approx 45 black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781838068745
Published: 13th May 2024

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Women In War From Home Front To Front Line

Helen IBCC — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 11:35:59 +0000

The changing role of women in warfare, a neglected aspect of military history, is the subject of this collection of perceptive, thought-provoking essays. By looking at the wide range of ways in which women have become involved in all the aspects of war, the authors open up this fascinating topic to wider understanding and debate. They discuss how, particularly in the two world wars, women have been increasingly mobilized in all the armed services, originally as support staff, then in defensive combat roles. They also consider the tragic story of women as victims of male violence, and how women have often put up a heroic resistance, and examine how women have been drawn into direct combat roles on an unprecedented level, a trend that is still controversial in the present day. The collection brings together the work of noted academics and historians with the wartime experiences of women who have remarkable personal stories to tell. The book will be a milestone in the study of the recent history of the parts women have played in the history of warfare.

Authors

Dr Juliette Pattinson, Professor Mark Connelly, Georgina Natzio, Christine Halsall, Jonathan Walker, Major Imogen Corrigan, Dr. Halik Kochanski, Dr T.A. Heathcote, Elspeth Johnstone, Mike Ryan, Grace Filby, Dr George Bailey, Tatiana Roshupkina, Leicester Chilton, Paul Edward Strong, Celia Lee, John Lee

Pages: 237
Illustrations: 30
ISBN: 9781526766618
Published: 20th November 2019

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Backbone of Britain : Women in War, 1939 – 45

Nicky van der Drift — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 12:45:30 +0000

World War II changed women’s lives – and British society – for ever.

In World War II, British women were still largely spared, or excluded from, combat roles. But the need for their capabilities demanded military service of more and more of them, and in roles where they faced the same risks as men. And the total nature of the war meant danger for all those on the Home Front too.

by 1943, in the UK 90 percent of single women of working age, and 80 percent of married women, were working outside the home in the armed forces, industry and other wartime organisations. Long-held notions of the limited capabilities of women became untenable in the light of the vast and varied contributions. Yet their courage, achievements and commitment are still insufficiently recognised.

Ten such “Women in War” have been memorialised with silhouettes, commissioned from “Standing with Giants”, installed at the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) in Lincolnshire. Their stories – bold, brave, committed and sometimes tragic – are told in this book, together with histories of the many new and different organisations with which they and other wartime women were involved.

This installation could not have been carried out without the support of companies, organisations and individuals who share the IBCC’s belief in the importance of these stories.

We hope the stories of the lives of these women in wartime will continue to be an inspiration to succeeding generations.

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From Coningsby to the Far East.. and Back Again

Nicky van der Drift — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 09:26:35 +0000

Author Elizabeth McElwee charts the experience of Flt Lt George William Milson DFC from joining the RAF Volunteer Reserve as a trainee pilot in 1939, through his time on operations from the UK, Western Desert and in the Far East,

He became one of the thousands of Far East Prisoners of War [FEPOWs] and spent three and a half years in captivity in various POW camps until the Japanese surrendered in 1945.

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Wartime Industry

laserred — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:49:52 +0000

An illustrated introduction to how British industries, supported by thousands of newly recruited women, strove to meet the nation’s wartime need for munitions, armour, shipping, uniforms and aircraft.

During the Second World War (1939–45), Britain stretched every sinew of its industrial might to fend off a Nazi invasion. As the nation stood alone against Fortress Europe, it harnessed, coordinated and maximised its resources, firstly to defend itself and then to help liberate Axis-occupied countries. Wartime Industry uses informative text and beautiful illustrations to show how the men and women of Britain met this unprecedented demand for military and home-front materials. It explores the work of Lord Beaverbrook’s highly organised Ministry of Aircraft Production; the ‘Shadow Factories’ that enabled manufacturers such as Vauxhall and Rootes to make tanks and aircraft; the Royal Ordnance Factories that produced firearms and explosives; the ‘Bevin Boys’ conscripted to work in the coal mines; the Women’s Timber Corps; and war workers – who, together, helped the nation to make it.

Format: Paperback

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Replica Pack – Women’s War

laserred — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:07:27 +0000

Women’s War memorabilia pack is a collection of high quality reproduced paper memorabilia from World War 2. The contents are all related to a woman’s experience of the War. It makes an excellent educational aid for a new generation and can be used to invoke memories in an older one.

Women’s War Memorabilia Pack Contents

Life in the WRNS booklet
Home Companion magazine
Personal ephemera
Land Army flyer
Wartime recipes
‘A Womans Place’ pamphlet
Various images

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