Elsie Joy Davison (née Muntz; 14 March 1910 – 18 July 1940) was a Canadian-born

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

aviator and airline director. She started flying herself in 1929. After becoming a director of an aircraft company in 1936, she died serving with the

Air Transport Auxiliary The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British civilian organisation set up at the start of the Second World War with headquarters at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The ATA ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between fac ...

in 1940, and was killed along with her instructor during a training flight, becoming the first female British aviator to die in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early life

Elsie Joy Muntz was born on 14 March 1910 in Toronto, Ontario. Her older sisters were Elizabeth Muntz a sculptor and Isabelle Hope Muntz, a medievalist and author. She was known as Joy, and signed herself as ‘E. Joy Davison’ in later life. After her father died in an accident when she was young, she moved with her mother and sister Hope to the United Kingdom. Interested in aviation and mechanics since childhood, she started flying in 1929 and gained her flying certificate by age 20. Flight magazine of 23 May 1930 listed her gaining her Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate No.9053 from London Aero Club. By the time she was 23, she was already a well-known pilot in her local area. Davison was recorded holding a "Commercial B" license from the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...

. She was a member of the

Women's Engineering Society The Women's Engineering Society is a United Kingdom professional learned society and networking body for women engineers, scientists and technologists. It was the first professional body set up for women working in all areas of engineering, pred ...

and first worked at

De Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited (pronounced , ) was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of North London. Operations were later moved to ...

and several other companies as a mechanic before starting to fly for the Comper Aircraft Company.

Marriage and commercial activity

In 1933, she married William Frank Davison (1899–1949) who she met while flying him for his photography work for the Liverpool Dock Board. Frank bought Hooton Airfield in 1934 and founded Utility Airways Ltd. there in 1936, with both him and his wife as directors. The pair divorced in 1939 and Frank would then go on to marry English pilot and sailor Ann Davison. That year, Davison worked for a company flying from

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. When

broke out, she started working for National Air Communications (NAC). She was listed as living with her sisters in Apple Tree Cottage in East Chaldon,

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

in 1939 when the

1939 Register The National Registration Act 1939 ( 2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 91) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. The initial National Registration Bill was introduced to Parliament as an emergency measure at the start of the Second World War. The ac ...

was taken. When she learned about the

(ATA), she wrote to

Pauline Gower Pauline Mary de Peauly Gower Fahie (22 July 1910 – 2 March 1947) was a British pilot and writer who established the women's branch of the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. Early life and education Pauline Mary de Peauly ...

to inquire about working there but turned a first offer down because the pay was too low. A second letter to Gower explained "''Sorry old thing, but I fear the dough isn’t good enough, particularly considering one would be flying open cockpit stuff for a large majority of the time! Afraid I’m getting soft or old or something, but when I’ve got a job which pays about twice as well and where one earns one’s money in more or less comfort, the change offers no worthwhile attractions!''".

Air Transport Auxiliary service and death

After the expansion of the ATA and bored with her job at the NAC, Davison decided to join the women's section of the Air Transport Auxiliary on 1 July 1940. The ATA was tasked with transporting newly produced aircraft from the factories to their respective

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

bases. She went to

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school in the world. The sch ...

Upavon Upavon is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portion of the River Avon which runs from north to south through the village. It is on the north edge of Salisbury Plain ...

and was assigned an experienced instructor named Sergeant Francis L'Estrange. Davison and L'Estrange took flight on 8 July 1940 in a

Miles Master The Miles M.9 Master was a British two-seat monoplane advanced trainer designed and built by aviation company Miles Aircraft, Miles Aircraft Ltd. It was inducted in large numbers into both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Fleet Air Arm (FAA) durin ...

but on their return to base, the aircraft made a

spiral dive The dynamic stability of an aircraft refers to how the aircraft behaves after it has been disturbed following steady non-oscillating flight. Longitudinal modes Oscillating motions can be described by two parameters, the period of time require ...

and crashed into the ground to the shock of spectators who did not believe anything was wrong until the crash. Both Davison and L'Estrange died during this instruction flight, making Davison the country's first woman aviator to die during

. Contemporary sources speculated that

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the si ...

had leaked into the cockpit and rendered both pilots unconscious prior to the crash but no official reason for the crash was ever given. Joy Davison was cremated at

Arnos Vale Cemetery Arnos Vale Cemetery () (also written Arno's Vale Cemetery), in Arnos Vale, Bristol, England, was established in 1837. Its first burial was in 1839. The cemetery followed a joint-stock model, funded by shareholders. It was laid out as an Arcad ...

, in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

and is commemorated in the Commonwealth War Graves section there.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davison, Elsie Joy 1910 births 1940 deaths People from Old Toronto Military personnel from Toronto British women aviators Air Transport Auxiliary pilots British civilians killed in World War II Canadian emigrants to the United Kingdom Women's Engineering Society Canadian women engineers British women in World War II Canadian women in World War II British women engineers Burials at Arnos Vale Cemetery