Ice, Air, and Defiance: The Theo MacLeod Story

Theo MacLeod was an extraordinary woman whose daring exploits shattered societal norms and redefined courage in her era. In a time when women were often excluded from certain pursuits, Theo took bold steps to challenge these restrictions. One of her most audacious acts was disguising herself as a man to conquer the Cresta Run, the infamous skeleton toboggan track in Switzerland. Known for its deadly curves and breakneck speeds, the Cresta Run was a proving ground for the bravest athletes of the time. Theo's mastery of the track not only demonstrated her remarkable skill and composure but also symbolized her defiance of gender barriers, earning her a place among the elite of a male-dominated sport.

Her courage extended far beyond the icy slopes. During World War II, Theo joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), an organization that played a critical role in Britain’s war effort. As one of the skilled female pilots, she ferried Spitfires and other aircraft from factories to frontline airbases, often flying in treacherous conditions and without weaponry or escort. These missions were vital to keeping Britain’s air defenses operational during key battles like the Battle of Britain. By ensuring a steady supply of aircraft to Royal Air Force pilots, Theo and her fellow ATA members contributed significantly to halting the Nazi advance and securing Allied victory.

Theo MacLeod’s life was a testament to unyielding bravery, skill, and determination. Whether hurtling down the perilous curves of the Cresta Run or navigating the skies in wartime, she defied expectations and left a legacy that continues to inspire. Her story is a vivid reminder of the countless women whose contributions have shaped history, often against overwhelming odds.

The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a civilian organisation set up during World War II to ferry new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factories, assembly plants, maintenance depots and so on to active service squadrons and airfields, as well as transporting service personnel on urgent duty and performing some air ambulance work.

Originally intended to carry personnel, mail and medical supplies, its pilots were soon in demand to work with RAF ferry pools in the transport of aircraft and by 1st August 1941 had taken all ferrying responsibility, freeing up much-needed pilots for combat roles.

In November 1939, Commander Pauline Gower was given the task of organising the women’s section of the ATA. The first eight women were accepted into service on New Years Day 1940, initially cleared only to fly Tiger Moths. They were Joan Hughes, Margaret Cunnison, Mona Friedlander, Rosemary Rees, Marion Wilberforce, Margaret Fairweather, Gabrielle Patterson, and Winifred Crossley Fair. Although at first seen as less-skilled than their male counterparts, in time they fly all types of aircraft, from Hurricanes and Spitfires to four-engine heavy bombers such as the Lancaster and Flying Fortress.

In World War II the ATA flew 415,000 hours and delivered more than 309,000 aircraft ranging from smaller planes such as the Spitfire and Mustangs to heavy bombers such as the Lancaster and American B17 Flying Fortress. 174 men and women pilots of the ATA were killed during the War – around 10% of the total who flew for the ATA. Initially, as the pilots were civilian and/or women, the aircraft were ferried with unloaded guns or other armaments. However, after encounters with German aircraft in which the ferried aircraft were unable to fight back, RAF aircraft were then ferried with guns fully loaded.

The ATA had women who were (almost) all young, and sound of mind and body, and were unsuitable for combat duty because of their gender, although many had as much, if not more, experience of flying than their male counterparts. According to one of the best women pilots, Gabrielle Patterson, there weren’t many of them because until 1938 “women pilots hitherto have consisted only of those with large enough bank balances”. Gabrielle Patterson helped to set up the Civil Air Guard which offered subsidised flying lessons for the less well-off, although hadn’t managed to complete their “A” licence before civilian flying was stopped at the outbreak of WWII.

The ATA was one of the few diverse organisations during the War – apart from accepting women as well as men, there were disabled pilots, older pilots and people of many nationalities, including from neutral countries. There were 28 different nationalities who flew with the ATA. Women were paid the same as men of equal rank – the first time that the British government had allowed equal pay for equal work for an organisation under its control. At the same time, American women flying with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) received as little as 65 per cent of their equivalent male colleagues.

The role of the ATA was vital to the success of the RAF in WWII and to the outcome of the war. As Lord Beaverbrook said at the disbanding of the ATA on 30th November 1945, “Just as the Battle of Britain is the accomplishment and achievement of the RAF, likewise it can be declared that the ATA sustained and supported them in battle. They were soldiers fighting in the struggle just as completely as if they had been engaged on the battlefront.

“I’m Mary Ellis and I made it to the grand old age of 101!  I even flew a Spitfire when I was 99! During the war I was one of the women in the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). We moved aircraft around airfields, brand new out of the factories most of the time.

I first went in an aircraft when I was 10, I think. It was marvellous! I loved every moment! I can still remember the feeling of the wind rushing through my hair for the first time and how the ground looked from so high up, like a patchwork blanket of fields and roads. When I got a bit older, 12ish, they realised that I was really not very good at hockey, so the school actually let me have flying lessons instead! That was rather wonderful. I had got my pilots’ licence by the age of 17.

Well, then the war broke out and civilian flying stopped. I thought that was it, I didn’t think I would ever be able to fly again. I turned my attentions back to the animals on our family farm and tried to avoid the tea parties and tennis games my mother was constantly trying to drag me to.

And then, one day, a voice came on the radio “…are you a qualified female pilot? The Air Transport Auxiliary need you to help with the war effort. Don’t delay, apply today!”

I think I really did jump for joy! My mum said she shouldn’t think it was a good idea, but I signed up anyway. This was my chance to really contribute to the war effort and I wasn’t going to let a few little tennis parties get in my way!

Oh, it was all so exciting. To begin with, we spent the days flying really low, learning as much of the countryside as possible, I could see the leaves on the trees and the hairs on the backs of the cows. This was really important because we would have to navigate completely on our own just using our knowledge of Great Britain. There wasn’t even a radio on board so we couldn’t talk to the ground at all. Completely on our own! Our job was to deliver the aircraft safely, so we could land wherever we liked. When flying conditions were bad, we were to land the aircraft and wait until we were clear to fly again.

I really loved my time in the ATA. We had so many adventures! Flying without a radio was a challenge, half the time the bases had no idea we were delivering an aircraft so we just had to fit in, you know, fall in with the other aircraft circling the base and land when you could!

I had a bit of a near miss one day, I had just landed my spitfire and was hurtling down the runway when I looked up, to my surprise there was another Spitfire tearing towards me! Without a moment to lose I quickly turned my rudder, hoping the other Spitfire wasn’t going to turn in the same direction, our wings only a hair width apart! It was a miracle we survived. Well, it turned out that the other pilot was also in the ATA, we had completely missed each other when circling the runway and landed from opposite directions!

Having a woman in the air was a real shock for the RAF Airman I think, women had very few work opportunities before the war. A woman at university was almost unheard of, and now the ATA was paying men and women equally to do the same job! Once I was delivering this magnificent, medium weight bombing aircraft called a Wellington to an airfield. I had elegantly breezed down the runway, taxied around half the airfield following the escort van, unclipped my parachute, adjusted my hair and jumped gingerly out of the sizable aircraft to be greeted by a rather large herd of RAF personnel. Well, they obviously did not have anything better to do with themselves than stand and stare like gormless goldfish! I asked very nicely to be taken to get my chitty signed

“Yeah, just a minute miss, were waiting for the pilot” was the response I got. I blinked.

“I am the pilot” I replied! Well they didn’t believe me. They actually had the nerve to search the Wellington looking for a man that I was hiding on board! I think they were in awe; it takes at least 5 men to fly a Wellington but I did it all by myself!

Spitfires were my favourite to fly, they did exactly what they were asked with no questions. We were only told to get the aircraft to the base safely, we could land wherever we liked, and we had no time restrictions. I would chase the clouds, breaking the cotton wool fluff with my nose, causing them to scatter and giggling with delight! The aircraft looped the loop and flew upside down; I loved the feeling of the blood rushing to my head. If I was flying near a friend’s house, I would fly really low and make my tail wiggle to say hi. Cor we had some fun! The freedom was like nothing else.

Once, when I was in the air, I looked to my left and there was an aircraft with a distinctive Swastika marked on the side and I saw the pilot give me a cheeky grin. That was a shock! I had no guns to attack him and I couldn’t tell anyone he was here, but man did I want to wipe the grin off his face! Without really having time to think I frantically flapped my hands at him and told him firmly to go home! But he just kept looking at me with that silly grin on his face. It was my blond curls he liked I think; I never did wear a helmet, it really did nothing for my hairstyle.

Of course, it wasn’t all fun and games. I came back to my billets one day to find a rather sombre atmosphere, my friend in the next dormitory hadn’t come back. The weather that day had been bad, low clouds, rain and high winds; she had been lost amongst the rubble when her aircraft crashed into a hill. It was a sobering moment indeed. Our CEO told us not to fly for two days, that is all we got- the war wasn’t waiting for anybody.

You know there was times I didn’t want the war to end. I had my dream job! But of course, we were always on the look out for future employment- desperate not to leave the freedom of the skies behind. I was lucky, in the end I was approached by a farmer to be his personal pilot. Eventually I, Mary Ellis, became manager to an entire airfield on the Isle of Wight. That’s where I met my husband and spent the last of my days, in my house by next to the airfield.”