One of Ireland’s Many Forgotten Hero’s, Lady Heath, was born Sophia Theresa Catherine Mary Pierce Evans on the 10th of November 1896, in Knockaderry House, Newcastle West, County Limerick.

From A Young Age, Sophie’s life was to be a difficult one. Her father battered her mother to death when she was only 13 months old. He had a long metal history, and was sent to Dundrum Mental Asylum For The Criminally Insane in Dublin.

While Sophie was then left to her aunts to be looked after in Newcastle West, a mostly Catholic area in the early 1900’s, this made Sophie’s childhood very difficult, with her aunts constantly looking over their shoulders to try and protect her from the truth of her Fathers madness, an embarrassment that she only ever told a few about. In actual fact, Sophie, although often covertly joking about being adopted may have some claim, to her fathers actions in later life, as she ambitiously took on the establishments of aeronautics and athletics….

Sophie was soon sent to school in Dublin, where she excelled at her studies, and soon became a keen athlete, she soon moved to England, to marry her first husband Mr. Elliott Lynn, a man she had met in between being a dispatch rider in World War I, and founding women’s athletic clubs across London, (although; after marriage, she insisted on continuing her studies, a rare request for the time, and an even rarer one to be entertained by a husband!). After the war, she and her husband moved to Kenya, to start a coffee plantation. Unfortunately this did not succeed, and Mr. Lynn, was soon found requesting Sophie’s aunts to take her back, because of the amount of money she was costing him!

Sophie returned to Europe, and yet again, rejoined athletics and was one of the first women to compete in the Olympics, after being at the forefront of campaigning for many years to allow women to be Olympians. The next step in Sophie’s life is one that has never truly been fully understood- although most believe it was done for money- Sophie married again, this time to Lord Heath, in England, an old man by anybodies standards, even in those days; marrying the 20 something year old Sophie, at the age of 72. This arrangement allowed Sophie to fuel her newly discovered flying hobbies, first from Stag Lane, London, but soon expanding her sights, gaining international fame by flying solo Cape Town to London and doing such amazing feats as being the first woman to do a “Loop the Loop”, and the first woman to Parachute- not to mention, the first woman to get a Commercial “B” license in the British Isles & Ireland, against the authorities wishes initially!

The now “Lady Heath” moved back to Dublin, without her husband, but with her two aircraft, now based at Kildonan Aerodrome, Finglas, North County Dublin (See Kildonan Aerodrome For More Information). She flew happily as an instructor for many years, although she was in retirement from aviation records, after a infamous accident in Cleveland, USA, which in 1929, caused her major injury, and a metal plate was inserted into her skull to save her life, it is believed by most historians that this was the turning point in her life, and that she was never truly happy again.

In Kildonan, she became actively involved in promoting aviation for all, both rich and poor, young and old, founding the National Aero Club, The Irish Aero Club and The National Junior Aviation Club (All later broke up, and some were reformed by other committees post WW2). In Kildonan, she met her last husband, Jack Williams, also a keen pilot, and in many peoples opinions, it was likely that he was the only man she ever had truly loved. Jack and Sophie set up a company together, Dublin Air Ferries, which was unfortunately ill fated, unlike Iona National Airways, which operated from 1930-1933 and 1950-1995, first from Kildonan, then from Dublin Airport.

With her life falling apart, Lady Heath got the very valued appointment to become the first Female Pilot with KLM (Dutch Airlines), operating the leading routes of the Day, she appeared to be happy again, but unfortunately, this was not true. Lady Heath, fuelled by depression, believed to have been brought on by her earlier accident, became an alcoholic, and fell off a tram in London in 1939.

Compiled By Byron Smith, HASOI Society Director.