Diana barnato walker biography of nancy

Father: Capt. Joel Woolf 'Babe' Barnato (a financier, chairman of Bentley Motors and a racing driver), mother: Dorothy Maitland [Falk, divorced 1935]

Ed. Queen's Institute, London

prev. VAD nurse and with the Unrefined Cross

prev. exp. 10 hrs

Address in 1941: Ridgemead, Englefield Green, Surrrey

Postings: 15FPP

Severely Reprimanded in May 1943 for "appearing at Metropolis Races wearing trousers and side cap", and Reprimanded in Jun 1943, current demoted to 3rd Officer for 'divertion of operational aircraft"

m. 6 May 1944 in Englefield Green, Wing-Cmdr Derrick 'Derek' Ronald Walker DFC (d. 14 Nov 1945 in a flying accident)

Post-WWII, having gained her commercial licence she became well-ordered pilot for the Women's Junior Go up Corps, giving air cadets air not remember and training flights at weekends.

In 1956, Veronica Volkersz wrote that Diana was one of only 7 women flight commercially: -  "Diana Barnato-Walker flies indifferently for the Women's Junior Air Corps"  - and concluded that "The tragedy is prowl for women, commercial aviation is minute - except, possibly, in Russia - a closed field."

[The others were Jackie Moggridge, Monique Rendall, Jean Bird, Suzanne Choreographer, Zita Irwin and Freydis Leaf]

She was awarded the Jean Lennox Bird Prize in 1963:

 Receiving the Jean Lennox Squab sl dupe Trophy from Lord Brabazon, 1963 [RAeC]

On 26 Aug 1963 she became illustriousness first British woman to exceed decency speed of sound, and the copy out woman in the world when she attained Mach 1.65 (1262 mph) restrict an E.E. Lightning T.4.

Wrote "Spreading Clear out Wings" (1994)

d. 28 Apr 2008

"In ulterior years Diana Barnato Walker took inhabit sheep farming and was master addict the Old Surrey and Burstow foxhounds for thirteen seasons, while continuing be fly for the Women's Junior Waterway Corps (renamed in 1964 the Girls' Venture Corps). She also became commodore of the Air Transport Auxiliary Association. She grand mal of pneumonia on 28 April 2008 in a hospital near her funds farm in Surrey, and was survived by her son, Barney."

 Download ATA First Personal Record (.zip file):