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In 1940, a fight for the future of Britain was being waged in the skies above the south of England.

Between June and October 1940, the Royal Air Force (RAF) fought off an invasion attempt from the German Air Force (Luftwaffe).

The RAF started out as the underdogs. They had fewer planes and pilots than the Germans. But a momentous victory on 15 September proved decisive, leading to a retreat by Nazi Germany.

Over 80 years on, we remember not just the brave pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain but the vital contribution made by women.

So what did they get up to?

Flying RAF aircraft right across the country

You might be surprised to learn that not all pilots during the Second World War were male.

In fact, the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) had around 168 female pilots. While these women weren’t actually allowed to fight, they still had an important role to play.

With new aircraft constantly being built and damaged ones being repaired, pilots were needed to ferry them between the factories and various UK airfields.

Along with their male colleagues, these women transported 309,000 aircraft throughout the course of the war.

Pilots were often thrown in at the deep end. They could be asked to fly any one of over 147 different types of aircraft, without seeing it beforehand and only minimal written instruction.

But how did women get such a job?

Nina Hadaway, the archive, library and research manager at the RAF Museum explains: “To qualify they had to be experienced and qualified pilots, although a training programme was developed with pilots qualifying in stages for the different types of aircraft.

“During the Battle of Britain, women were restricted to flying training and communication aircraft such as the Airspeed Oxford.”

That would change later on in the war, when female pilots were allowed to fly the iconic Spitfires and Hurricanes. In 1943, the women were awarded equal pay with their male colleagues, one of the first instances in the UK.

Putting in the hard work to keep things moving

In the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), women took on a wide range of roles.

Nina lists trades such as “drivers, clerks including special duties, telephonists, radio direction finding operators, orderlies, cooks, and fabric workers in Balloon Command.”

While the WAAF didn’t engage in fighting, their work could still be dangerous.

Nina says: “Many were based at the airfields and radar stations targeted by the enemy. They were working under front-line conditions. WAAFs were injured during the Battle and six women were awarded the Military Medal for their bravery under fire.”

Their names were Cpl Avis Hearn, Cpl Elspeth Henderson, Sgt Helen Turner, Cpl Josephine Robins, Sgt Elisabeth Mortimer and Sgt Jean Youle.

In fact, WAAF Corporal Daphne Pearson was the first woman to be awarded the George Cross, the second-highest honour possible and known at the time as the Empire Gallantry Medal.

Corporal Pearson was honoured for her incredible bravery when rescuing a pilot from a burning plane, shortly before the Battle of Britain on 31 May 1940. The aircraft was loaded with 54kg bombs at the time and one exploded during the rescue. She flung herself over the pilot, shielding him from the blast.

Solving major engineering dilemmas

Women weren’t only flying planes, they were designing them too.

Without the engineering talents of Beatrice Shilling, the outcome of the Battle of the Britain could have been very different.

At the start of the Battle of Britain, RAF pilots had serious problems with their engines. Whenever they dived to avoid enemy fire, there was a risk of their engine cutting out as it flooded with fuel.

Shilling devised a neat solution. The brass disc with a hole in it could be fitted without having to remove the engine, saving valuable time. She actually drove from airfield to airfield on a motorbike, helping to install them herself.

In 1947 Beatrice Shilling was awarded an OBE for her work.

When Hazel Hill was just 13 years old, her father came home with a challenge for her.

As a scientific officer at the Air Ministry in 1934, Captain Fred Hill felt that Spitfires and Hurricanes should be armed with eight guns, instead of the four they were initially designed with. However, there were concerns that aircraft would be unable to fly with the added weight.

Hazel was a talented mathematician so he asked her to do the calculations for him.

They were able to prove that eight guns were possible, and the firepower of the RAF was dramatically improved ahead of the Battle of the Britain. This would prove to be absolutely vital, giving the RAF the edge it so desperately needed.

Making a change for good

The incredible efforts made by these woman during the Battle of Britain had a real and lasting impact.

Nina notes that: “Unlike the First World War, proposals for retaining a permanent female peacetime force were discussed and approved."

She goes on to say:“As a result regular service for women was introduced in February 1949. Entrants were commissioned or enlisted in the RAF taking the same oath rules and regulations as the men.”