Dulcibella Clifford

Dulcibella Evangeline Clifford (1894-1960) also known as Mrs. Oliver Atkey was a famous British female pilot^[1] and the first woman to receive a British pilot's license after WWI.^[2] She one of the earliest female aviators, and was thought to be one of only 56 female pilots in the world in 1927.^[3][4]

Dulcibella Clifford
Born	(1894-12-31)December 31, 1894 Richmond, Surrey
Died	1960 (aged 65–66)
Other names	Ms. Oliver Atkey Dulcibella Atkey
Citizenship	British
Known for	Aviation
Spouse	Oliver Atkey ​ (m. 1915)​

She held the record for longest flight by a female pilot with a passenger for a flight in 1922.^[5][6][7][1] She was also the first woman to fly across the English Channel with a passenger.^[8][9] She was also the only female entrant into the 1923 Grosvenor Cup and possible the first British female pilot to enter an air race.^[10][11]

Personal life

Clifford was born either in the late 1880s or 1890s, according to her pilots certificate 1894.^[11] She worked as a nurse in Belgian in 1915 and while working met and married surgeon Oliver Francis Henry Atkey.^[11] They were married until their deaths in 1960.^[11]

Flying career

Clifford learned to fly in Hounslow and passed the test to obtain her pilot's license in 1919.^[2][12] Her record setting passenger flight was in a de Havilland airplane from Leeds to Edgewire.^[6] She held the record for longest flight with a passenger made by a female pilot in the world for a flight in 1922.^[5][6][7][1]