Wonder Woman of the Week: Jean Batten

Amelia Earhart was only one of a pantheon of revolutionary female aviators. New Zealand has its own national hero famous for her exploits in the air- who set international records for aeronautics. She soared through the skies in her less-than-invisible plane, had numerous locations in her home country named after her, then died a quiet death Amelia Earhart could have wished for. The Wonder Woman of the Week is Jean Batten.

New Zealand’s most famous aviator was born in 1909 in Rotorua. Four year-old Jane Gardner Batten moved with her family to Auckland and in 1917, her father left to fight in World War I in Europe. Batten’s father returned from war to a divided household and young Jean Batten ended up in college in 1922 after a series of family trials. [1]

Jean Batten’s desire to fly was inspired by aeronautic legends like Ross and Keith Smith, and Charles Kingsford. Her father disapproved, but she was able to convince her mother to move to England with her where she would take flying lessons and earn her pilot’s license. Batten wanted to set the record for flying from England to Australia. She failed twice in a row, but refused to admit defeat. [2]

On 8 May 1934, Jean Batten took off from a runway in England with her sights set on Australia. Just under fifteen days later (14 days and 22 hours), Batten landed in Darwin, Australia. She was not only the fastest female aviator to make the trip- beating Amy Johnson’s time by five days- but set the record of all-time fastest aviator to make the England-Australia flight. [3]

Jean Batten made a name for herself during the Great Depression as an international hero. When World War II began, Batten left the world stage and disappeared into a quiet life. Her days of meetings with kings and queens, prime ministers, and world leaders was over. Batten eventually ended up in a small island in the Mediterranean where she died of all things- an infected dog bite. [4]

Aviator Jean Batten had a brief moment in the international spotlight. The New Zealander set records for flights from England to Australia and England to New Zealand. She was a Great Depression heroine who survived to old age and died on a tropical island at a retirement home. She sat with royalty, appeared on the headlines of newspapers, and had locations in her home nation named in her honor. Jean Batten may be a hero for New Zealand, but she was one of a few women throughout history who was able to achieve greatness, escape the horrors of war, retire to a beautiful island, and die in peace.

“Jean Batten Biography.” 20 August 2014. New Zealand History. Accessed 10 February 2016. http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/people/jean-batten

Cochrane, D. and Ramirez, P. “Jean Batten.” 2016. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Accessed 10 February 2016. https://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/women-in-aviation/batten.cfm

Ward, Paul Stanley. “Jean Batten.” 13 March 2000. NZEdge.com. Accessed 10 February 2016. http://www.nzedge.com/legends/endurance/jean-batten/

Stent, Kevin. “Plane truths about Jean Batten.” 10 May 2013. The Dominion Post. Accessed 10 February 2016. http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/culture/9245744/Plane-truths-about-Jean-Batten