Gollan, Pamela Mary D'Auvergne (Oral history)

British civilian officer served as pilot with Air Transport Auxiliary in GB, 8/1941-8/1945; civilian worked for Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) in North West Europe, 1945

REEL 1 Background in GB, 1917-1939: family; eduction; learning to fly at Brooklands Airfield; gaining private license; attitude towards flying; public attitude towards female pilots; voluntary work of middle classes. Aspects of period as civilian in GB, 1939-1941: outbreak of Second World War, 9/1939; desire to join the Women's Royal Naval Service; work for Air Raids Precautions; attitude towards war and joining services; Air Raid Precautions duties. Aspects of enlistment and training as pilot with Air Transport Auxiliary in GB, 1941: origins of Air Transport Auxiliary; applying to join Air Transport Auxiliary; story of getting lost during pre-war flight at Brooklands Airfield. REEL 2 Continues: story of first pre-war cross-country flight; lack of flying experience; flight test. Recollections of period as pilot with Air Transport Auxiliary in GB, 8/1941-8/1945: daily routine; types of aircraft flown; conversion courses at No 1 Advanced Flying Training School, ATA White Waltham; opinion of Supermarine Spitfire; various postings. REEL 3 Continues: account of accident as passenger in Fairchild Argus taxi aircraft at ATA White Waltham, 15/3/1942 including flight, inability of pilot to control the aircraft and crash, escaping from aircraft, explosion of aircraft and suffering burns; attitude towards injuries; attitude towards treatment by staff at Headquarters, ATA White Walham; reaction to learning of deaths of pilot and best friend; medical treatment; refusing to use bed pan; recovery and returning home. REEL 4 Continues: attitude towards returning to flying; Air Transport Auxiliary medical; test flight; attitude towards returning to flying; long term impact of accident; fate of men that rescued her; injuries; long-term medical problems; opinion of No 12 Ferry Pool ATA Cosford; contrast between male and female pilots; American attitude towards female pilots; rations; attitude towards uninjured men who bribed pilot to fly them home in place of injured, 6/1944. REEL 5 Continues: fate of friends in France; desire to get to France to help friends; resigning from Air Transport Auxiliary. Recollections of period with Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) in France and Germany, 1945: joining Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA); duties looking after performers; memories of Marlene Dietrich; organising billets for performers in Lyon, France; devastation of Europe by Allied bombing; European attitude towards Americans; opinion of performers. REEL 6 Continues: crossing the River Rhine, Germany; attitude of German civilians towards British; question of Allied treatment of Germans; visit to Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, Germany; speaking to camp inmates; physical condition of inmates; mass graves; condition of inmates; behaviour of inmates. REEL 7 Continues: flying former concentration camp inmates to Brussels, Belgium; pay.