née Reed the "beautiful" [so said Harald Penrose] wife of Alan Butler. (Later, the 'Flying Grandmother') Her first husband (Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh William Knox-Niven) having died in 1923, she married Alan Butler in 1925; together they had a daughter and a son. 15th in the Women’s Combined Alpine Skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics, skating for her native Canada (although she was a member of the British Team before that). Postings: 5FPP 1942 caricature by 'Sammy' Clayton Completed more than 1,000 hours, in 36 types of aircraft. 2 accidents, neither her fault: - 24 Jan 1942, the wing flaps of Hurricane AG202 were damaged by water from melting snow, during a precautionary landing at Abingdon - 6 Aug 1942, a forced landing at Cranwell in Anson DG761, after starboard engine failure Post-WWII, the Butlers moved to Rhodesia and bought a tobacco farm, but eventually moved back to Studham Hall, Bedfordshire. She owned a 1930 DH.80A Puss Moth G-ABGX, which was sold in France in December 1934, re-registered as F-AMRX and whose registration was finally cancelled in 1936. d. 17 Aug 1970 in Piraeus, Attiki, Greece from a heart attack while on holiday, and is buried in Studham. |