Markham, Beryl (1902-1986), was the first woman pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west. She took off from England and landed in Nova Scotia, Canada, in September 1936. Her flight lasted 21 hours 35 minutes.
Markham was born in Ashwell, near Leicester, England. Her given name was Beryl Clutterbuck. At age 3, Beryl moved with her parents to a farm in British East Africa (now Kenya). Her mother returned to England the next year. Beryl was raised by her father in Africa. She grew up among African peoples. She hunted with them and learned several African languages. Beryl had only a few years of formal education.
At age 18, Beryl became the first woman in Africa to receive a license to train race horses. She quickly became a successful trainer and breeder. While in her late twenties, Beryl took flying lessons and earned a pilot’s license. She then ran a commercial flying service in Africa, carrying mail, passengers, and supplies in her own airplane for a number of years. She later worked in Hollywood as a consultant for films dealing with flying or with Africa.
Beryl married and divorced three times. Her husbands were Alexander Purves, a Scottish rugby player; Mansfield Markham, the heir to a British coal-mining business; and Raoul Schumacher, a writer and editor from the United States.
Markham’s autobiography, West with the Night, was published in 1942. Some scholars believe that Schumacher actually wrote the book.
