1891-c.1959 AKA Lily Irvine Martin |
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"James V Martim is well known as a pioneer plane designer Lily flew his sea plane for starters." Photo & text from Helen Rappaport, 10-15-09 |
via email from Helen Rappaport, 10-15-09 I found your web page while idly googling for info on my great aunt Lily Irvine. I did the family history 25 years ago and chased down a fair amount about Lily and her husband James V Martin then it sort of got buried - work, family, commitments, you know. I recently got my file back from my brother as I’d been thinking of going in pursuit of Lily again. The one thing that really niggles is that she may well have been the first or the youngest woman in Britain to fly but never took her pilot’s licence so we can’t prove it. But the South African press said in her obituary that she was ‘the first English-speaking woman to operate an aeroplane’. Anyway, here for a starter is a bit about her: Born 1891 in Durban, South Africa, one of four daughters of a Scottish jeweller and watchmaker James Croy Irvine from Edinburgh, who settled out there. Married James V Martin at Hendon Register office 15 February 1911 - they had one son, James Hamilton Martin b. 1911 and an adopted daughter Eileen bc. 1920. Lily and James later divorced. I don’t have her precise death date but it was c. 1959, aged 68 in Miami Florida. Apparently she left a will - I haven’t got round to tracking this down. Apparently she did some barnstorming in USA after her marriage. I have more on James V Martin but he’s much better known. All best wishes Helen Rappaport |
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LILY IRVINE BY A PASSENGER CAENTINO *48* WHITE BIPLANE Collection of Martin Loader, 9-20-07 |
via email from L. M. Orr, 2-12-07 LMO Editor's Note: You can find numerous links to websites which feature the role of Minoru Park in the early development of aviation. You will find references to many of the more familiar pioneer aviators, such as Charles K. Hamilton and Alys Bryant. |
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by John Jensen. He married a lady from England in that year, the attractive Lily Irvine, taught her to fly, and she became the first woman in England to do so. On March 11th Martin became the first man to fly over London, and to great acclaim. He and his wife came to America that spring and Martin flew in competitive flying events on the East Coast and Chicago........" Editor's Note: These three paragraphs have been excerpted from a fascinating article which is found on the Isetta Owner's Club of Great Britain website and recounts the story of James V. Martin and his invention of the Martin 3-wheeler, a little car similar to the Isetta. It is one of the only sources of information about his wife Lily who accompanied him on his later exploits. To read the whole illustrated story, just click on the title above. |
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by Trisha Madros, Violet and Joel Project Leader, Ms. Campen You can access the site by clicking on the title above. While there, it time permits, you might want to revue the entire history of aviation in Alaska from 1867 to the present. You can find their story by scrolling down the page or you can use your FIND button on "Martin" to go directly to the entry. |
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by Jim Ruotsala "This book contains over 180 rare and previously unpublished photographs depicting the early years of aviation in Alaska." Of particular interest is a very nice picture of James and his wife Lily Irvine Martin standing in front of their Gage-Martin tractor biplane in Fairbanks, Alaska, July 1913. To view it, click on the title above. |
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BEFORE AMELIA Women Pilots in the Early Days of Aviation Eileen F. Lebow Product Details Cloth: 315 pages; 6x9 inches List Price: $26.95 Your Price: $21.56 ISBN: 1574884824 |
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Description: Before Amelia is the remarkable story of the world’s women pioneer aviators who braved the skies during the early days of flight. While most books have only examined the women aviators of a single country, Eileen Lebow looks at an international spectrum of pilots and their influence on each other. The story begins with Raymonde de Laroche, a French woman, who became the first licensed female pilot in 1909. De Laroche, Lydia Zvereva, Melli Beese, Hilda Hewlitt, Harriet Quimby, and the other women pilots profiled here rose above contemporary gender stereotypes and proved their ability to fly the temperamental heavier-than-air contraptions of the day. Lebow provides excellent descriptions of the dangers and challenges of early flight. Crashes and broken bones were common, and many of the pioneers lost their lives. But these women were adventurers at heart. In an era when women’s professional options were severely limited and the mere sight of ladies wearing pants caused a sensation, these women succeeded as pilots, flight instructors, airplane designers, stunt performers, and promoters. This book fills a large void in the history of the first two decades of flight About The Author: Eileen F. Lebow is an author and former teacher. Her previous books include Cal Rodgers and the Vin Fiz: The First Transcontinental Flight and A Grandstand Seat: The Army Balloon Corps in World War I. She lives in Washington, D.C. This book has two full pages of information on Lily Irvine. The coverage of the many other pioneer women aviators is excellent. It deserves to be in the library of anyone who is interested in these remarkable women. For more information and to order, go to the publisher's homepage by clicking on: |
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but it was c. 1959, aged 68 in Miami Florida." Personal communication from Helen Rappaport, 10-15-09 If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper Back 
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