EPISODE ONE 
‘Breakthrough’

When it was first suggested that women should be recruited and trained for the ATA, an aviation magazine harshly asserted, ‘The menace is the woman who thinks she ought to be flying a high-speed bomber when she has not the intelligence to scrub the floor of a hospital properly.’

This film highlights the transformation of the public’s revulsion towards the women of the ATA to one of pride and love. It shows the acceleration of inventions and attitudes needed to deal with rapidly changing circumstances, as Hitler launches a massive air offensive on Britain.

In 1939 Hitler invaded Poland and Britain declared war on Germany. On May 10^th 1940 Winston Churchill became Prime minister of Britain.

In December1939 Pauline Gower is appointed to head the women’s section of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), and the first 8 women pilots, including herself, are accepted into service in January 1^st1940. Initially they are cleared only to fly Tiger Moths from their base in Hatfield. At first the women were paid at a much lower rate than the men. Pauline intervened and eventually the women were paid on a parity with men.

Born on July 22^nd, 1910, in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, Gower came from a prominent family; her father Sir Robert Gower, a politician and member of parliament. Gower’s interest in aviation began at a young age, and she earned her pilot’s licence in 1930. She went on to establish a successful air taxi business with a fellow pilot Dorothy Spicer and the two women became lovers.

Initially when Pauline Gower applied to join the ATA, she faced several challenges. The initial rejection was due to concerns about women flying military aircraft and their lack of experience. Although Pauline was an experienced pilot, the ATA required pilots to have a minimum of 250 hours of flying experience. The ATA also held a strong gender bias against women being accepted into the ATA as pilots. This was the prevailing prejudice of the times.

When the idea of women flying planes for the ATA was first proposed, the press reaction was largely sceptical and even mocking. The ‘Daily Mail’ described the idea as ‘preposterous’ and questioned the ability of women to handle complex aircraft. ‘The Times’ expressed doubts about the ‘physical and mental’ fitness of women for flying duties. Other newspapers mocked the idea with headlines like, ‘Women to Fly Planes? Oh Dear!’ and ‘The ATA’s Feminine Fliers – A Joke?’

These reactions held that women were not capable of performing tasks that required technical skill, physical strength, or mental toughness. Lord Beaverbrook, the Minister for Aircraft Production, was reported to have referred to the idea of women flying aircraft as ‘disgusting’.

Pauline Gower’s father, Sir Robert Gower, played a significant role in gaining her entry to the ATA. As a member of Parliament, he used his influence to help his daughter’s application. Specifically, he approached his friend, Lord Beaverbrook, to advocate for Pauline’s acceptance into the ATA. This paved the way for her acceptance.

Societal attitudes towards same-sex relationships in the 1930s and 1940s were largely negative. Homosexuality was considered a taboo and was often viewed as immoral, unnatural and even a mental illness.

In the UK homosexual acts between men were illegal until 1967, and lesbianism was not explicitly mentioned in the law, but was still socially stigmatised. People in same-sex relationships often faced persecution, ridicule, and rejection by family, friends, and society at large. Despite this, some women, like those in the ATA, were able to find a sense of freedom and acceptance within certain communities, such as the women’s aviation community, where they could pursue their passions and live more openly.

Despite her achievements and contributions to the war effort, Pauline faced discrimination due to her sexuality. However, her social status and family connections helped mitigate some of the negative impacts. (Later on, her marriage to Wing Commander Bill Thorton was seen to conceal her true sexuality and avoid social repercussions.)

Lesbianism in the ATA accounted for resistance to women joining, especially in the early years. Some people viewed the ATA as a haven for ‘unconventional’ women, and the rumours of lesbian relationships within the organisation fuelled sexist and homophobic attitudes. This led to some opposition to women joining the ATA, questioning their suitability to the role and their moral character.

In 1935 Hitler, as the leader of the Nazi party, was consolidating his power and implementing policies to establish a totalitarian regime. ie Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland, beginning Germany’s expansion. he introduced the Nuremberg rules, a set of anti-Semitic laws which stripped Jews of their citizenship and prohibited sexual relations or marriage between Jews and non-Jews. Other steps included the establishment of the Gestapo and the arrest and imprisonment of political opponents.

Meanwhile in England (1936) preparations for war were taking place behind the scenes. Herbert Austin proposed a scheme to the British government to build factories for aircraft production to secret locations around the country. It was called the Shadow Factory Scheme. These factories were built alongside car manufacturing factories which acted as a cover (in the shadows!) and provided already existing technical knowledge used for building cars. The Merlin engine built for the Spitfire and Hurricane by Rolls-Royce were manufactured in these factories.

In 1936 Hitler began laying the groundwork for Germany’s expansion and war. At this point, behind the scenes Britain building shadow factories to manufacture munitions and aircraft.

In the first episode of ‘The First Eight’ we are introduced to Pauline, her lover Dorothy Spicer and the women of ‘The First Eight’. The pilots in lesbian relationships meet socially at ‘Gateways’, a club for women, where the women could relax and be themselves. Other women of the ATA in same-sex relationships were Winifred Crossley & Margaret Fairweather, Lettuce Curtis & Margaret (Peg) Cuthbert.