Diary by Margaret Brodatt

My name is Margaret Brodatt my friends call me Maddie. Today on a ride outside of town I saw an airplane crash. It was amazing and scary,the pilot did an excellent job crashing the plane. My friend Beryl and I went to see if the pilot was injured. When we got there the pilot was unconscious and we had to drag him out of the cockpit. When we removed his goggles and helmet we realized it was a girl. Imagine a girl flying a plane! Oh the possibilities. I never dreamed it could be possible for a girl to fly but here it was and I wanted it for me. I want to fly more than anything I have ever wanted in my life.

I went on my first flight with Dympna, she is the pilot I pulled out of the crashed plane. I can’t afford lessons but I met some people at the airfield and they are going to let me help with the planes. I know a lot about engines from working in my Grandpa’s motorbike shop and they are happy for the help. I joined the Civil Air Guard, free flight training! Hundreds of people applied but because of all the friends I have made on the base I am one of twenty that is going to learn to fly. It is so beautiful in the air I feel it is what I am meant to do.

I know it has been a year since I have written but so much has happened. Hitler invaded Poland on 1 September and Britain declared war on Germany two days later. I have joined the WAAF –Women’s Auxiliary Air force. They won’t let me fly but for now I am working as a radio operator because of the Morse code and radio I learned while getting my pilots license. It’s a lot like a telephone operator.  Oh my today I was sitting in the radio room doing my job and the chief flight instructor came into the room. He must have remembered me from flight school because he gave me a new assignment. I am now the flight operators assistant. My job is to help guide pilots to land, and let me say some of these boys couldn’t find their way out of a potato sack. The other day I guided some lads down in a Wellington bomber the captain was so grateful he offered to let me ride along on practice runs. I wont be flying but I will be in a plane nevertheless.

1940 spring I’m still shaking, We were fired on! By our own guns! I don’t know who is training those guys but I have never been so scared in my life! On the plus side I have been given a new job as RADAR operator very new technology and can change the course of the war.  Today I talked down an enemy aircraft. Well I didn’t do it, I can’t speak German, so they got a German speaker, boy was she good! I have seen her before they call her Queenie.The pilot thought he was at Calais and a bit lost so we pretended we were Calais air base. Queenie didn’t miss a beat she talked him down perfectly. You should have seen the surprise on his face when he landed and was surrounded by blue uniformed Britsh soldiers.

1940 I think I have just meet my best friend. Queenie and I spent the night in a bomb shelter and she didn’t make fun of me for bringing an umbrella inside. Today we talked about our greatest fears. She is afraid of getting lost. The sirens went off again and we headed for the bomb shelter. On the way we were sidetracked by a call for help, a antiaircraft gunner had been shot and it was up to us to help him. I could barley move I was so scared but Queenie shook me out of it. I don’t know how I did it but I loaded a gun that was too heavy for me and shot down an enemy plane. She says we make a great team. How strange it is when you just know you are going to be friends for life.

1940 So many things happening, Queenie has been in training for what I don’t know and she won’t tell me. All I know is she leaves in the middle of the night, sometimes I have to fly her there and then she comes back very wore out. Last night she had bruises on her arm and neck. She confessed that she helps the British get information out of German prisoners. She says she doesn’t torture them but she tricks them into thinking she is German and can trust her. The guy last night didn’t trust her and he hurt her. How can she do what she does? I would be scared to death putting my life in danger like that. She is much braver than I.

What have I done? Everything happened so fast. First Queenie was scheduled to go, then the pilot had gotten in a car accident, then everyone was talking about how important this mission was. Next thing I knew Queenie said I could do it and Jamie said no way, well you know how I hate to be told what I can’t do and the next thing I know I’m in the air with Queenie. We were hit by enemy fire. I couldn’t land. It took everything I had to keep the plane flying and all the time she was there with her hand on my shoulder. She had to jump, I held it steady till I knew she could safely parachute out. PLEASE GOD LET HER BE SAFE!