The Director of Women Pilots: Pauline Gower

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Men gave women the chance to fly in the Air Transport Auxiliary, but the opportunity might easily have been squandered if the organisational leadership of the women pilots had not been entrusted to the right person. The story of the WASP in the United States, who were disbanded and sent home just when they were becoming most useful, is a cogent and telling example of the price of poor leadership in such a delicate role. Rather than a glamorous prima dona ala Jacqueline Cochrane, the British women pilots were blessed with Pauline Gower.

Pauline Gower wasn't rich, famous, glamorous or ambitious; instead, she was hard-working, competent and fair. According to the women who served under her, she wasn't particularly charismatic, yet she was accepted 'quite happily' even by women twice her age, society girls with court and political connections, and pilots famous for their flying achievements. Her success can best be measured in the success of the organisation she headed because she never placed herself in the foreground but instead fought tirelessly for the women she represented.

Her primary concern and enthusiasm was 'the acceptance of women as serious contributors to aviation.' [Michael Fahie, A Harvest of Memories: The Life of Pauline Gower MBE, 1995, 137] Furthermore, while she might have been young (under 30 when the ATA was founded) and held no flying records for speed or distance, she had made her living from aviation for five years before being tapped to head the Womens' Branch of the ATA. She had over 2,000 flying hours at the time of her appointment. Perhaps more importantly, she had learned tact, diplomacy and a keen appreciation of power politics by acting as hostess to her MP father after her mother's death. 

Her leadership style was low-key, never arbitrary or arrogant, but not informal or chummy either.

She had the ability  suddenly to become warmly human, able to joke with anyone immediately after she had told them they must do better or else. At times she would come down from her inevitably lonely position to find someone to be companionable with, to tell a few jokes and listen to theirs.  And then she would go back to her official sanctum and that was that. She would leave the person, whoever it might be, feeling pleased and sparkling, but never for one moment dreaming of taking advantage of her moment of relaxation. In other words, except for her one or two closest friends, she was always the head, whatever she might please to do. [Alison King, Golden Wings, 1956, 7-18]

Like any good leader, she was able to delegate authority, and "if she delegated authority, then she gave it completely, with full trust and no interference, yet you knew that in an emergency she was there! Strongly and forcefully with you." [Alison King, Golden Wings, 1956, 19] Equally important, Gower was always accessible to her pilots and gave them a sympathetic hearing when they sought her out with complaints or concerns. 

Yet arguably Gower's most remarkable quality was her ability to get what she wanted from the (male!) powers-that-be without any apparent drama or fuss. One of her pilots insisted that she "browbeat" Ministers and Air Marshals "in the nicest possible way." [Rosemary du Cros, ATA Girl: Memoirs of a Wartime Ferry Pilot, 1983, 35] 

Wisely, she moved only cautiously towards the unquestioned goal of complete equality with male pilots within the organisation. Progress was only gradual, and some thought she might have moved faster or pushed harder, however, it is hard to argue with success. One of her former subordinates claimed that the women in the ATA "owed a great deal to her diplomacy and sense of timing, for she had to know how and when to fight or give ground." [Mary De Bunsen, Mount up with Wings, 1960, 103 ] An example of this was her gambit to convince the RAF to train women pilots on operational aircraft.

She waited for the right moment, and instead of bludgeoning her way in, she asked the Commanding Officer of the Training Flight if he thought his instructors, who were known to be the best in the world, would take on the challenge of training her women ATA pilots up to the standard? It worked! [Michael Fahie, A Harvest of Memories: The Life of Pauline Gower MBE, 1995, 149]

Gower's fine appreciation of power-politics and the judicious use of pressure is also demonstrated by her approach to obtaining equal pay -- something not granted American women pilots, or the British women serving in the WAAF, WRNS and ATS either. First, Gower waited until women were cleared to fly all classes of aircraft except the flying boats. Then she persuaded the Directors of ATA to advocate equal pay for the women of the ATA with the appropriate minister, namely Sir Stafford Cripps. When he found excuses, Gower approached him directly. She warned him that he might be asked in Parliament if women pilots doing the exact same work as men were being paid less and if so why. Sure enough, when on 18 May, 1943 the female member of Parliament Irene Ward put this question to Sir Stafford in the House of Commons, he (surprisingly!) responded that from June onwards the salaries of women pilots would be brought in line with that of men. [Michael Fahie, A Harvest of Memories: The Life of Pauline Gower MBE, 1995, 178]

Throughout her tenure, Gower retained the trust not only of her pilots but of her superiors as well. In late May 1943, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of BOAC, thereby becoming the first woman ever to be appointed to the board of directors of any major, national airline in the world. When the appointment was announced in Parliament, it was met with applause. A rare but well-deserved tribute to a self-effacing but highly effective female leader.  

A former ATA woman pilot is one of the leading female protagonists in the Bridge to Tomorrow Trilogy about the Berlin Airlift.  Find out more about the series at: https://helenapschrader.net/bridge-to-tomorrow/

Watch a video teaser here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7rS_Mwy3TU 

                                      

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