Canadian Aviatrix #23 – Addie Taman (1905-1959)

Addie Aletta Taman was born on 4 September 1905 in Huron, Ontario, to Joseph Elijah Taman (a teamster) and Eliza Jane Gibson.

On 21 March 1927, Addie married Mervyn Ellwin Camm. She was a 21-year-old milliner, he was a 24-year-old druggist.

In 1930, the couple attended the druggists’ convention in Niagara Falls and took an airplane trip over the area. A few weeks later, Addie was the first woman in Bridgeburg to take flying lessons. By June, she was dropping advertising circulars over the town, which became a feature of town events. Even though she hadn’t taken her test yet, she also gave exhibitions of stunt flying, doing loop-the-loops, spins and other maneuvers, plus she took her first passenger up – her husband.

On 9 January 1931, Addie passed her flying test and received PPL #755, making her the 23rd female pilot in Canada. She was 25 years old.

Photo: Bertie Township Herald (October 2, 1930)

In July 1931, Addie and Mervyn were at the opening of a coast-to-coast air tour when a large plane “lost its wing in the air” and crashed, killing all five on board. He helped to carry the bodies out of the wreckage.

Addie “caused a near riot” among children at the 69th Bertie Fair when she fly over the fairground and dropped circulars, some of which entitled the holder to a free box of candy.

I haven’t been able to find any information about Addie’s later life, but in 1947, the couple visited Cuba for three months and Addie’s immigration form answers “yes” as to whether she was ever in prison or in an “institution for the care and treatment of the insane”.

Addie died in 1959, aged 54.

Note: Addie was listed with an asterisk in No Place for a Lady – meaning the author hadn’t been able to find her. I just had “A.A. Camm (Mrs)” and the date of her PPL.