Barnato Walker, Diana

Barnato Walker, Diana
▪ 2009

      British pilot

born Jan. 15, 1918, London, Eng.

died April 28, 2008, Surrey, Eng.
as a prominent member of the Atagirls, the women's branch of the World War II Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), delivered some 250 Spitfires and other planes to Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons, often in poor weather or under enemy attack and without weapons or functioning instruments. She was born into a wealthy family, the daughter of Woolf Barnato (chairman of Bentley Motors and three-time winner of the Le Mans 24-hour automobile race) and the granddaughter of South African diamond baron Barney Barnato. She took private flying lessons for fun in the 1930s and in 1941 joined the ATA because women were not accepted as RAF pilots. In 1944 she married Spitfire pilot Derek Walker, but he was killed in a plane crash less than a year later. After the war Barnato Walker obtained a commercial pilot's license and worked with the Women's Junior Air Corps. On Aug. 26, 1963, she broke the sound barrier in a Lightning fighter jet, setting a world record for women of Mach 1.65 (2,031 km/hr; 1,262 mph). Barnato Walker was made MBE in 1965. Her autobiography, Spreading My Wings, was published in 1994.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Diana Barnato Walker — (geborene Barnato, * 15. Januar 1918; † 28. April 2008) war eine englische Pilotin und die erste Britin, die schneller als der Schall flog.[1] Leben Diana Barnato Walker im Cockpit einer …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Diana Barnato Walker — MBE FRAeS (15 January 1918 28 April 2008) was an English aviatrix and horse rider, the first British woman to break the sound barrier.[1] Diana Barnato Walker climbing into the cockpit of a Spitfire whilst serving with the Air Transport …   Wikipedia

  • Barnato — ist der Name folgender Personen: Barney Barnato (1852–1897), südafrikanischer Diamantenmagnat Diana Barnato Walker (1918–2008), englische Pilotin Woolf Barnato (1895–1948), Sohn von Barney Barnato, englischer Autorennfahrer und Finanzier, der als …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Walker (surname) — Walker is a surname of English origin. In English, the name comes from the medieval profession of a ‘walker’, a person who trod on woollen cloth in a bath of Fuller s earth, and sometimes urine, in order to thicken the fibres and ready the cloth… …   Wikipedia

  • Woolf Barnato — Le Mans drivers Name = Woolf Barnato Nationality = flagicon|UK British Years = 24hLM|1928 24hLM|1930 Team(s) = Bentley Motors Ltd. Best Finish = 1st (24hLM|1928, 24hLM|1929, 24hLM|1930) Class Wins = 3 (24hLM|1928, 24hLM|1929, 24hLM|1930)Joel… …   Wikipedia

  • Woolf Barnato — Joel Woolf Barnato (* 27. September 1895; † 27. Juli 1948) war ein englischer Automobilrennfahrer und Finanzier, der als einer der Bentley Boys bekannt wurde. Woolf Barnato war der Sohn von Barney Barnato, der in Südafrika als Besitzer einer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Barney Barnato — Barney Barnato, um 1890 Barney Barnato (* 5. Juli 1852 in Whitechapel, London; † 14. Juni 1897, geboren als Barnett Isaacs) war ein südafrikanischer Diamantenmagnat, erst Gegenspieler von Cecil Rhodes, dann mit ihm Miteigentümer von de Beers.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Моллисон, Джим — В Википедии есть статьи о других людях с такой фамилией, см. Моллисон. Джим Моллисон Jim Mollison …   Википедия

  • List of World War II topics (D) — # D 10 tank gun # D 8 Armored Car # D Day 1 # D Day (game) # D Day Dodgers # D Day Museum # D Day the Sixth of June # # D Day # D. C. Stephenson # D. C. Wimberly # D. Robinson # D. V. Peyton Ward # Döme Sztójay # Džafer beg Kulenović # Dachau… …   Wikipedia

  • Air Transport Auxiliary — Diana Barnato Walker, une pilote de l ATA sur un Spitfire. L Air Transport Auxiliary était une organisation britannique de la Seconde Guerre mondiale active du 15 février 1940 au 30 novembre 1945 créée pour assurer le transfert des avions neufs,… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”