Beryl Markham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beryl Markham
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Beryl Markham in 1936
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| Born | Beryl Clutterbuck 26 October 1902 Ashwell, Rutland, England |
| Died | 3 August 1986 (aged 83) Nairobi, Kenya |
| Occupation | Writer, pilot, horse trainer |
| Notable works | West with the Night |
| Spouse |
Jock Purves
(m. 1919, unknown)Mansfield Markham
(m. 1927; div. 1942)Raoul Schumacher
(m. 1942; div. 1960) |
| Children | 1 |
Beryl Markham (born Beryl Clutterbuck; 26 October 1902 – 3 August 1986) was an amazing English-born Kenyan aviator, adventurer, and writer. She was also a successful racehorse trainer. Beryl Markham made history as the first person to fly solo and non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean from Britain to North America. She shared her exciting life in her famous book, West with the Night.
Contents
Growing Up in Kenya
Beryl Markham was born in Ashwell, Rutland, England. Her father, Charles Baldwin Clutterbuck, was a talented horse trainer. When Beryl was four years old, her family moved to Kenya. At that time, Kenya was known as British East Africa.
Her father built a horse racing farm in Njoro, near the Kenyan Rift Valley. Beryl had an adventurous childhood there. She learned, played, and even hunted with the local children. On her family's farm, she learned a lot about horses. She loved them very much. When she was just 17, she became a horse trainer herself. This happened after her father moved to Peru.
Beryl Markham was a very independent person. She was married three times. She got the name Markham from her second husband, Mansfield Markham. They had a son named Gervase.
Learning to Fly
Beryl was inspired by a pilot named Tom Campbell Black. He taught her how to fly airplanes. She soon became a bush pilot. This meant she flew planes in wild areas.
As a bush pilot, she would spot wild animals from the air. She would then tell people on safaris on the ground where the animals were. This was a very exciting and unusual job for a woman at that time.
Her Record-Breaking Flight
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Beryl Markham is most famous for her solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. She flew from England all the way to North America. Before her, no pilot had flown non-stop from Europe to New York City. Also, no one had flown solo from east to west across the Atlantic. Many pilots had tried and failed. Beryl hoped to be the first to achieve both records.
On 4 September 1936, she took off from Abingdon-on-Thames in southern England. Her plane was called The Messenger. After flying for 20 hours, her plane had a problem. The fuel tank vents froze, and the engine ran out of fuel. She had to crash-land at Baleine, Nova Scotia in Canada.
Even though she crash-landed, Beryl made history. She was the first person to fly non-stop from England to North America from east to west. People celebrated her as a true aviation pioneer.
Life as an Author
Beryl Markham wrote about her many adventures in her book, West with the Night. It was published in 1942. The book received good reviews, but it did not sell many copies at first. It soon went out of print.
After living in the United States for many years, Beryl moved back to Kenya in 1952. She became a very successful horse trainer there. She was known as the best horse trainer in the country for a while.
Book Rediscovery
Beryl Markham's book was mostly forgotten for many years. Then, in 1982, a man named George Gutekunst read some letters by the famous writer Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway had praised Markham's book.
George Gutekunst read West with the Night and loved it. He helped a publisher in California, North Point Press, re-release the book in 1983. This re-release changed Beryl Markham's life. She was 80 years old, and suddenly, she was famous as a great author and flyer.
The book became a surprise best-seller. A TV documentary about her life, World Without Walls: Beryl Markham's African Memoir, also helped. This show was broadcast in 1986.
Beryl Markham passed away in Nairobi in 1986. Her short stories were later collected in a book called The Splendid Outcast. A part of West with the Night was even made into a children's book called The Good Lion. In 1988, a TV miniseries about her life was made.
Both West with the Night and Splendid Outcast became best-sellers.
Legacy and Honors
Beryl Markham's adventurous spirit and achievements are still remembered. The International Astronomical Union named a special place on the planet Venus after her. It is an impact crater called Markham.
Images for kids
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Beryl Markham in 1936
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Beryl Markham, around 1930.
See also
In Spanish: Beryl Markham para niños
