Women in Aviation Wall of Fame:
Willa Walker

Wilhelmina “Willa” Walker’s influence on aviation began during the Second World War. She was one of the first to enlist in the newly formed Canadian Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in 1941, which became the RCAF Women’s Division in 1942. Quickly rising through the ranks, she was made commanding officer of the Women’s Division in Canada in February 1943.

During a recruiting drive for the Women’s Division, Walker told parents, “You would consider it the right thing for your sons to do, and you should also feel that it is the only right course for your daughters.”

While visiting various training depots, Walker was kept out of male only mess halls by other officers. Frustrated by this, she sat outside the window of the mess in the cold weather in her car in view of the male officers. Walker’s actions worked leading to her being included at the mess halls.

She was the first woman to hold the rank of Wing Officer, the highest awarded to any member of the RCAF Women’s Division. She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in January 1944. A park in Ottawa was named in her honour in 2018.

Walker’s pioneering work opened the door for more women in Canadian military aviation. During the RCAF’s Cold War expansion in 1951, women were recruited into the RCAF itself and not a separate division. Women were accepted as military pilots in 1980 and as fighter pilots in 1988.