June Cole talks about being one of the band of female pilots who aided the war effort during World War 2. June was born in 1921, in London and by the age of 20 she had left her work as a Red Cross nurse in order to join the RAF.

June joined the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) . She worked at a radar station on G7000 radar, which aircraft could use as a navigational aid. June ferried new aircraft mainly, from airbases near factories, after RAF test pilots had flown them and passed them as airworthy.

June ferried repaired and damaged military aircraft between UK factories and active service squadrons and airfields, sometimes flying people over to France behind enemy lines.

June also delivered the aircraft to an English departure airfield, where a highly experienced RAF pilot flew the dangerous mission into occupied France.

June flew many planes during World War 2, the Fairey Barracuda, the de Havilland Tiger Moth, the North American Harvard, but the plane she loved to fly the most was the Mk IX Supermarine Spitfire. “It was the most beautiful plane to fly, it responds most beautifully, I would say there is still no plane to beat it.”

On her participation in the war effort June comments that, “ I think flying people over to France and knowing they were going into incredible danger, just quietly slipping in and slipping out and they were amazing. And I think the feeling of being nothing like as worthy as they were but knowing that you were helping them and you were part and parcel of it gave the most wonderful feeling.”