SAVING AMY
Just over 82 years ago, off-course and out of fuel, an aircraft plunged into the Thames estuary off the Kent coast. Alan Veale tells the story of the Saving Amy project. Photography: Alan Veale
T
he only person on board that fateful flight was the pilot, 37-year-old Amy Johnson. While she reportedly survived the crash, weather conditions were horrendous, the sea intensely cold, and a rescue attempt failed. Her body was never recovered. If the name sounds familiar, that’s probably because Amy Johnson was a major celebrity. She made her name in 1930 by being the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. More long-distance records tumbled during the next decade, while her marriage in 1932 lasted only six years. Once divorced, Amy pursued other ways to make a living through business ventures, journalism and fashion. At the outbreak of the war, she worked for a company operating short flights across the Solent from Portsmouth and flew as a practice target for searchlight batteries and anti-aircraft
gunners. But in March 1940 she was made redundant, and two months later she joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), transporting aircraft around the country for the Royal Air Force. On 4th January 1941, Amy Johnson flew to RAF Squires Gate, now Blackpool Airport. Today, Hangar 42 survives with a coating of rust, devoid of the camouflage paint that made it look from the air like a row of houses. Eric Watkiss is the leader of a project which will eventually serve as a permanent tribute to Amy. Eric is a BAE Systems engineer, a former RAF aircraft mechanical engineer, and a member of the Lancashire Aircraft Investigation Team, specialising in the recovery and preservation of historic artefacts. He explains, after the Battle of Britain in
September 1940, there was a huge demand for training bomber crews to take the fight back to Hitler. The Airspeed Oxford Mk II, with dual controls, was the preferred choice of the RAF and Commonwealth forces.
This was the aircraft Amy was flying on the morning of 5th January 1941, after staying overnight with her sister in Blackpool. She anticipated a flight time to Oxfordshire of around 90 minutes, but a combination of bad weather and a reported problem with her compass took her far off course. One report states that she was shot down by ‘friendly fire’ but has never been verified. Officially, Amy Johnson simply ran out of fuel, and then out of luck. “She was great at navigation,” says Eric.