Lady Mary Bailey, the first pilot to complete the London to Cape flight and back solo, dies in Cape Town

Date: 29 Aug 1960
Updated: 29 Aug 2021

Lady Mary Bailey, wife of a South African mining magnate, was the first person to fly solo from London to Cape Town and back. She was already the mother of five children when she achieved this. She was also the first woman to fly over the Irish Sea. Bailey went on to study navigation and was awarded a blind-flying certificate, the first woman to achieve this. She also won numerous flying competitions. Bailey died in Cape Town on 29 August 1960. One of her sons, Jim Bailey founded the Magazine African Drum, currently known as Drum Magazine.

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01CTIE Lady Mary Bailey (1890-1960) [online] Available at: www.ctie.monash.edu.au [Accessed on 20 August 2012]
02Ancestry 24 Lady Mary Bailey [online] Available at: https://ancestry24.com [Accessed on 20 August 2012]

Last updated · 29 Aug 2021

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2012, August 23). Lady Mary Bailey, the first pilot to complete the London to Cape flight and back solo, dies in Cape Town. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0091795

South African History Online (2012) 'Lady Mary Bailey, the first pilot to complete the London to Cape flight and back solo, dies in Cape Town', South African History Online, 23 August. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0091795 (Accessed: 23 August 2026).

South African History Online, Lady Mary Bailey, the first pilot to complete the London to Cape flight and back solo, dies in Cape Town [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0091795, (accessed 23 August 2026).

"Lady Mary Bailey, the first pilot to complete the London to Cape flight and back solo, dies in Cape Town." South African History Online, 23 Aug. 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0091795. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Lady Mary Bailey, the first pilot to complete the London to Cape flight and back solo, dies in Cape Town." South African History Online. August 23, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0091795.