Yvonne MacDonald
British born, was still in school when the war started. In 1943,
as Yvonne Wheatley, a young RAF widow, she was, along with her sister
Joy Gough (now Lofthouse) among the first ab initio pilots whom the
ATA took in and trained. Given twelve hours to solo she progressed through
the various flight and ground school hazards, and ended the war ferrying
20 different types, including light twins but mostly single engine fighters.
" Not a big deal when compared to the record of Lettice Curtis,
of whom we were all in awe". But not bad for a non technical young
woman who, on her husbands death early in 1943, was judged incapable
of driving a car safely from the north of England to her home in the
south.
Living in the US since 1946, and only recently became a full fledged
citizen, she has 5 children from a second marriage, one English, one
Canadian, and three Americans. In addition to her family life, her postwar
activities have included volunteer work such as driving an ambulance,
social work with Children's Services, and the Prison Association.
Cape Cod on the east coast is her home, but she manages to get back
every year to the ATA gatherings.