Mary Ellis, Legendary WWII Pilot And Last Of The Spitfire Girls, Passes Away At The Age Of 101

Aug 02, 2018 by apost team

Mary Ellis, the last of the Spitfire Girls, passed away in her home at the age of 101 on July 24, 2018. During World War II, she flew 76 different aircrafts. She began flying as a teenager.

She loved the idea of flying and took lessons at a young age. She began flying just for fun, but she soon heard a radio appeal looking for women pilots in 1939. They were asking them to join the British auxiliary. She volunteered herself soon after she heard this radio appeal.

Just a couple weeks before she died, she attended the premiere of a documentary, SPITFIRE, in London. The documentary featured herself, the last surviving female of the World War II Spitfire.

She couldn't help but beam with pride. The documentary showed the moment when Ellis reunited with a Spitfire that she flew in World War II. She had signed her name as a romantic gesture on the plane.

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She had put her name on the plane just before she had to return it to RAF Brize Norton in 1944. She explained she put her name on the plane in hopes that a handsome RAF would see her name and get in touch with her. She claims it never happened.

When Ellis celebrated her 100th birthday, she was surprised with a birthday party with about 60 guests. The party was held at Sandown Airport. During her celebration, she exclaimed how much she loved flying the Spitfire. It was her favorite aircraft to fly. She claimed it was the symbol of freedom.

As part of the celebration, she was able to take control of a 275mph Spitfire that held two people. She flew it over West Sussex.

Check out the amazing video of Ellis flying the plane to celebrate her 100th birthday.

Pass this video around to keep Mary Ellis' spirit alive! Her memory deserves all the recognition it can get.