Beryl Markham Beryl Markham Beryl Markham (née Clutterbuck; 26 October 1902 – 3 August 1986) was a British-born Kenyan aviator (one of the first bush pilots), adventurer, racehorse trainer and author. She was the first person to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlantic from east to west. She wrote about her adventures in her memoir, "West with the Night". Markham was born in the village of Ashwell, in the county of Rutland, England, the daughter of Charles Baldwin Clutterbuck, an accomplished horse trainer, and Clara Agnes ("née" Alexander) Clutterbuck (1878–1952). She had an older brother, Richard Alexander "Dickie" Clutterbuck (1900–1927). When she
West with the Night west in a solo non-stop flight (a westbound flight requires more endurance, fuel, and time than the eastward journey, because the craft must travel against the prevailing Atlantic winds). When Markham decided to take on the Atlantic crossing, no pilot had yet flown non-stop from Europe to New York, and no woman had made the westward flight solo, though several had died trying. Markham hoped to claim both records. On 4 September 1936, she took off from Abingdon, England. After a 20-hour flight, her Vega Gull, "The Messenger", suffered fuel starvation due to icing of the fuel tank vents, and