About Amy Johnson

Amy Johnson was born July 1, 1903, in Hull, Yorkshire and lived there until she went to Sheffield University in 1923 to read for a BA. After graduating, she moved on to work as a secretary to a London solicitor where she also became interested in flying.

Amy began to learn to fly at the London Aeroplane Club in the winter of 1928-29 and her hobby soon became an all-consuming determination, not simply to make a career in aviation, but to succeed in some project which would demonstrate to the world that women could be as competent as men in a hitherto male dominated field.

Her first important achievement, after flying solo, was to qualify as the first British-trained woman ground engineer. For a while she was the only woman G.E. in the world.

Early in 1930, she chose her objective: to fly solo to Australia and to beat Bert Hinkler's record of 16 days. At first, her efforts to raise financial support failed, but eventually Lord Wakefield agreed his oil company should help. Amy's father and Wakefield shared the £600 purchase price of a used DH Gypsy Moth (G-AAAH) and it was named Jason after the family business trademark.

Amy set off alone in a single engine Gypsy Moth from Croydon on May 5, 1930, and landed in Darwin on May 24, an epic flight of 11,000 miles. She was the first woman to fly alone to Australia. In July 1931, she set an England to Japan record in a Puss Moth with Jack Humphreys.

In July 1932, she set a record from England to Capetown, solo, in a Puss Moth. In May, 1936, she set a record from England to Capetown, solo, in a Percival Gull, a flight to retrieve her 1932 record.

With her husband, Jim Mollison, she also flew in a DH Dragon nonstop from Pendine Sands, South Wales, to the United States in 1933. They also flew nonstop in record time to India in 1934 in a DH Comet in the England to Australia air race. The Mollisons were divorced in 1938.

Johnson House Competition Positions

2006-2007

1st

2005-2006

4th

2004-2005

2nd

2003-2004

5th

House Captain

Rhiannon Johns

Deputy House Captain

Gemma Scott

Form Prefects

Year 7

Alice Monk
Rosie Richardson

Year 8

Natasha Di Carlo
Claudia Shute
Stephanie Curtis

Year 9

Lydia Eyre
Emily Insall

Year 10

Charlotte Beerbohm-Waddy

Year 11

Helen Callard
Kathryn Gardiner