Lid lifted on incredible story of WW2 couple laid to rest in Ayrshire war grave

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The courageous acts of a pioneering wartime couple buried together in South Ayrshire have been brought to light. Douglas and Margaret Fairweather are among the very few married couples to rest together in a Commonwealth War Grave.

Their resting place in Dunure, just seven miles from Ayr, acts as a reminder of their selfless efforts and fearless dedication during WW2.

Douglas, originally from Newton Mearns, was a chain-smoking rule breaker, who was known for flying any mission in any weather, while Margaret was the first woman to fly a Spitfire.She was part of the Air Transport Axillary and ferried all types of planes across the UK for the war effort.Meeting later in life, the pair married and embarked on an “adventure honeymoon”, flying to Germany while the third Reich was re-arming.They travelled with a purpose and sought out hidden airfields, plotting the coordinates, relaying them in coded travel letters.On their return, Margaret interpreted the code and fed that back to the War Office.

This type of information was vital as Britain kept a watchful eye on the beginnings of a sinister regime.As war broke out, there was a need for experienced pilots but - even with their skill and experience - there was no way that Douglas and Margaret could enlist for active service.Margaret was a woman and it would be another five decades before the first female combat pilot flew - Flight Lieutenant Jo Slater in 1994.