Molly Rose

Molly Daphne Rose, (née Marshall; 26 November 1920 – 16 October 2016) was a British aviator who flew for the Air Transport Auxiliary in World War II and later served as a magistrate in Oxfordshire.

Early life Molly Rose was born on 26 November 1920 in Cambridge, England. She was active raising funds for various charities in Oxfordshire, was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Oxfordshire in 1983 and was awarded the OBE for Services to Oxfordshire in 1990. Molly also served as a Parish Councillor in the village of Appleton in Oxfordshire.

Later life Molly and Bernard lived in Bampton, Oxfordshire, from 1946 until 1974, when they moved to live in Appleton Manor. In 1986 they moved back to Bampton to live in Bampton House. She died on 16 October 2016 at the age of 95. In 2018 the Molly Rose Trophy was created and is awarded each year to the winner of the armed forces women's rugby match held at Twickenham.

Personal life Molly married Bernard Rose in Hove Parish Church on 19 December 1939. Bernard died of emphysema in November 1996.

Legacy In 2020 Aetheris Film Company owner, Paul Olavesen-Stabb, decided that, with the declaration of lockdown in the UK during the action to slow down the spread of Coronavirus, he would turn the film script, already written but with no filming possible, into a book. Entitled Attagirls it was published in August 2021 see https://www.aetheris.co.uk/ Additionally Paul Olavesen-Stabb also decided to launch the Molly Rose Pilot Scholarship, which offers a fully funded training package up to Private Pilot Licence level. Over 40 applications were received from young women from all backgrounds and the successful candidate will be trained at the Cambridge Aero Club in the summer of 2022. The club is based at Cambridge Airfield owned by Marshall Group of Cambridge - the airfield where Molly learnt to fly in 1938.

Molly recorded her lifetime experiences for the Imperial War Museum and these can be heard by going to https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80009749