Beryl Markham

Beryl Markham
Beryl Markham in 1936
Born	26 October 1902 Ashwell, Rutland, United Kingdom
Died	3 August 1986(1986-08-03) (aged 83) Nairobi, Kenya, Africa
Occupation	Writer, pilot, horse trainer
Notable works	West with the Night

Beryl Markham (26 October 1902 – 3 August 1986) was a British-born Kenyan aviator (one of the first bush pilots), adventurer, racehorse trainer and author. During the pioneer days of aviation, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west. She is now primarily remembered as the author of her memoir, West with the Night.

Markham was born Beryl Clutterbuck in the village of Ashwell, in the county of Rutland, England, the daughter of Charles Baldwin Clutterbuck, an accomplished horse trainer, and Clara Agnes (Alexander) Clutterbuck (1878–1952). She had an older brother, Richard Alexander "Dickie" Clutterbuck (1900–1927). When she was four years old, her father moved the family to Kenya, which was then colonial British East Africa. He purchased a farm in Njoro near the Great Rift Valley, and worked for Hugh Cholmondeley. Although her mother disliked the isolation there and promptly returned to England, Beryl stayed in Kenya with her father, where she spent an adventurous childhood learning, playing, and hunting with the local children. Later, after both women had spent time back in England, Beryl and her mother - now called Kirkpatrick - found themselves again in Kenya, living near each other in the small expatriate community. Beryl would greet her two new half-brothers, but never quite forgave her mother.

On her family's farm, she developed her knowledge of and love for horses. Barely an adult, she became the first licensed female racehorse trainer in Kenya and rapidly became a successful and renowned figure among the racing community of Kenya.

Impetuous, single-minded and beautiful, Markham was admired and described as a noted non-conformist, even in a colony known for its colourful eccentrics. She was married three times, taking the name Markham from her second husband, the wealthy Mansfield Markham, with whom she had a son, Gervase. She is believed to have had an openly public affair in 1929 with Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the son of George V, but the Windsors allegedly cut the romance short. She also had an affair with Hubert Broad, who was later named by Mansfield Markham as a co-respondent in his 1937 divorce from Beryl. After her Atlantic crossing, she returned to be with Broad, who was also a great influence in her flying career.