Canadian Aviatrix #44 – Alice Blake (1909-2002)
Alice E. Blake was born in September 1909 in Regina SK to George Davis Blake (a farmer) and Margaret Stark Alexander (originally from Scotland).
|
1901 census |
1906 census |
1911 census |
1916 census |
1921 census |
|
|
Arthur MB |
Qu'Appelle SK |
Moose Jaw SK |
Prince Albert SK |
North Battleford SK |
|
|
George |
34 |
38 |
45 |
46 |
54 |
|
Margaret |
22 |
29 |
32 |
38 |
42 |
|
Emma |
1 |
6 |
11 |
15 |
21 |
|
George |
- |
4 |
8 |
13 |
- |
|
James |
- |
1 |
6 |
12 |
16 |
|
Alice |
- |
- |
5m |
7 |
12 |
By 1935, Alice was working for the Regina YWCA as a stenographer and had joined the Regina Flying Club. She worked at night and Lillian McNeill worked during the day, so they met up early in the morning to take their lessons.
In September 1935, Roland J Groome (aviation pioneer and instructor at the club) died in a plane crash. Alice was one of his students and had been watching him fly at the time. She rushed to the crash site in a car with another pilot.
On 18 October 1935, Alice passed her flying test and received her PPL, making her the 44th female pilot in Canada. She was 26 years old.
Photo: The Leader Post (October 4, 1935)
Alice, who preferred to go by “Dayle Blake” in later life, died in 2002, aged 92.
Note: Alice was listed with an asterisk in No Place for a Lady – meaning the author hadn’t been able to find her. I just had her name and the date of her PPL.
