Claire Roman

Claire Roman (born Claire-Henrietta Emilia Chambaud) (25 March 1906 – 8 August 1941) was a French aviator. In the 1930s she participated in speed races and broke world records for altitude and speed, and completed a long-distance flight to India. During World War II Roman served in the French Air Force and was captured by the Germans. She escaped and continued to fly until her death in 1941 as a passenger on a civilian flight which crashed in bad weather. She was sent to England at the age of 16 to learn the English language, and on her return to France studied philosophy at the Sorbonne University. She also studied nursing, graduating in 1927. In 1936 she was also second, behind Hilsz, in that year's cup race.

In June 1940 Guy La Chambre signed a government decree permitting women pilots to join the French Air Force as an auxiliary pilot, and Roman was one of the first to sign up.

She was responsible for evacuating aircraft from behind German lines, and while performing this work was captured by the Germans in Brittany. She escaped to Bordeaux and resumed her duties there.

Commemoration In 2017, an exhibition on Roman's life and achievements was opened at an aeronautical museum in Blagnac, including items found in June 2016 at the site of the crash which killed Roman in 1941.