The exploits of so many people who served their country during World War II have been celebrated over the past eight decades—with a few exceptions.
One civilian organisation which has gone under the radar is the Air Transport Auxiliary. It’s said to have made an enormous contribution after taking over the task of ferrying new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between maintenance units and airfields.
A number of women joined the ATA. Many of them had never flown before. They had to fly different kinds of aircraft without a radio, often in hazardous weather conditions. They were counted out, but not all of them were counted back in...
The story of some of those women pilots is told in Spitfire Girls, which marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It reveals that out of 2,000 people who applied to join the ATA, only 17 were accepted.
Spitfire Girls begins on New Year’s Eve 1959 with two women meeting again as the rain hammers down outside the Spitfire pub. They reminisce about being pilots, experiencing a state of euphoria with their job but suffering grief and loss at the same time. It’s later revealed they are sisters.
Katherine Senior who wrote Spitfire Girls plays Bett, while Laura Matthews is her younger sister Dotty. The pair are so convincing and have such a sparky relationship, they could be sisters in real life.
Senior shines as the dour, matriarchal Bett, always concerned for her younger sibling who is reckless and doesn’t recognise danger. Matthews impresses as foolhardy Dotty who loves Bett unconditionally despite their differences. Matthews is also touchingly distraught at the death of a loved one and later when she lambasts her father who wants them to work on his farm rather than take to the skies. But Matthews isn’t quite so convincing when she’s drunk at a party with her colleagues.
Jack Hulland catches the eye as their dad, an old-fashioned chauvinist who shows exasperation and indignation when he feels he’s been robbed of his workforce.
Samuel Tracy and Kirsty Cox give solid support to a production which starts off slowly and maintains its momentum once it’s taken off.
Seán Aydon directs with flair, while Sarah Beaton’s design deserves praise, the action taking place on a hexagonal raised stage featuring a Spitfire roundel in the centre. A 1940s dance or song bridges the gap between slick scene changes. Credit too to Stephen Moynihan whose movement direction includes a clever depiction of Dotty flying.
If there was one thing I expected but didn’t get from this production, it was a more detailed sense of how dangerous the women’s flying missions were; they often flew all sorts of planes on any one day, which must have been incredibly tiring as well as stressful.
Apart from that, Spitfire Girls soars to great heights most of the time as it focuses on the love, hope and strength the women shared. Be sure to catch it when it lands at a theatre near you.