Spitfire Girls at Octagon Theatre Bolton

A new play inspired by the remarkable true stories of the women who dared to fly planes during World War II lands at Bolton’s Octagon Theatre this May. Written by and starring Katherine Senior, Spitfire Girls reveals the true stories of these pioneering women through warmth and humour.

It’s New Year’s Eve, 1959 and two women separated for decades reunite at The Spitfire pub. As the rain lashes down outside, we’re transported back to wartime, when they flew the skies in defiance of all expectations as part of the Air Transport Auxiliary, a civilian organisation tasked with delivering aircraft for the Royal Airforce. 

Spitfire Girls first toured to critical acclaim last year in a production that marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. Developed through the National Theatre Studio’s Generate programme, the play was the result of around ten years of research for Senior who explains, “I really wanted to hear about the human stories, the personal journeys that these young women took, and the immense bravery and sheer strength that drove these female pioneers”.

The research led her to meet and interview the women who flew during the war, alongside some of their friends and families, drawing from these conversations to imbue Spitfire Girls with a real sense of the lives of these women. In addition to scenes which boldly dramatise the sensation of flight, Senior prioritises depicting the character’s loves and losses, as well as the inherent hopes and tragedies of life and work during wartime.

For those interested in learning more still about the Spitfire Girls, there is a chance to hear from Operation Spitfire’s Caroline Speirs who will be present to deliver a post-show talk on Thursday 28 May. Speirs is the daughter of Rita Baines, a war-time pilot, and gives regular talks about the the Air Transport Auxiliary across the UK.