Prudence Richarda Evelyn Routh was born on November 22, 1923 in Ickleton,
Cambridgeshire, England. From 1932 through 1940, Prudence attended the Perse
School for Girls in Cambridge. Shortly after the formal defeat of Nazi Germany
and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich on May 8, 1945 Prudence married
Norman Robert Morrow-Tait on July 21, 1945. She began to use her middle name,
Richarda and affectionately became known as Dikki. When the wartime ban on
civil aviation was lifted Richarda joined the Cambridge Aero Club earning her
private pilot's licence.
When daydreams became reality, Richarda dreamed of the impossible and
made it come true. She read up on the wartime ferrying activities where
aircraft crossed the oceans and studied weather patterns. Richarda became
enthusiastic for an attempt for a woman to pilot a plane round-the-world.
With their good friend, Michael Townsend, the Morrow-Taits shopped for a
aircraft that could fly round-the-world. They selected a Percival Aircraft,
a Proctor IV (G-AJMU) which had evolved from a wartime derivative with a
history of record flights. Richarda remembered her daughter Anna's favorite
nursery rhyme, Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of
grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go, and
named her new plane, "Thursday's Child."
On August 18, 1948 Richarda with her navigator, Michael Townsend left
Cambridge and began their flight eastward round-the-world. Her flight became
a series of adventures and it progressed driven by Richarda's sheer
determination. She had two minor crashes and a six week enforced stay in
India for aircraft repairs and the installation of extra fuel tanks. After an
illegal escape from India, an unplanned stop in Indo-China (Viet Nam) and a
crossing of the North Pacific in winter (instead of late summer as originally
planned) they survived a forced landing near Tanacross AK in sub-zero
temperatures due to carburetor icing. Efforts to get the Proctor repaired
failed and Richarda was left almost penniless. Navigator, Townsend returned
to England.
Richarda spent Christmas 1948 in Edmonton Canada and made a side trip to
Seattle WA. She met Jack Ellis who agreed to become her navigator for the
balance of her round-the-world trip if she was able to acquire another
aircraft. Soon thereafter she purchased a BT-13 Vultee Valiant (NX-54084) and
after some up-grade and repair was ready to fly "Next Thursday's Child" across
Canada and the US returning to England.
Upon completing her journey Richarda Morrow-Tait became the first woman to
pilot an aircraft round-the-world. She received little acclaim for her feat
and even a bit of ridicule from a public that felt she had abandoned her
motherly duties for an unnecessary adventurous undertaking. Richarda
lamented, "I had more trouble on the ground than I ever had in the air." She
faded from publicity maintaining her pilot's licence into 1960. She passed
away on December 17, 1982 from an incurable blood disease.
Itinerary:
Departed Cambridge England 08/18/48
Croydon England
Marseilles France
Malta
Nicosia Cyprus
Al Habbaniya Iraq
Bahrain
Sharja UAE
Karachi Pakistan
Delhi India
Calcutta India
Rangoon Burma
Vientiane Viet Nam
Hong Kong
Okinawa
Itazuke Japan
Tokyo Japan
Chitose Japan
Kuril Islands
Aleutian Islands
Shemya AK
Adak AK
Cold Bay AK
Anchorage AK
Forced landing (near Tanacross AK - G-AJMU damaged) 11/21/48
Seattle WA
Vancouver British Columbia Canada
Edmonton Canada
Tanacross AK
Edmonton Canada
Minneapolis MN
Chicago IL
Buffalo NY
Montreal Canada
Burlington VT
Montreal Canada
Old Town ME
Goose Bay Labrador
Bluie West One, Narsarsuaq Greenland
Keflavik Iceland
Prestwick Scotland
Arrived in Croydon England 08/19/49