Pioneering aviator. Born at Waterfoot House in Busby (East Renfrewshire), the daughter of an engineer. In 1930, Drinkwater joined the Scottish Flying Club which had been established by a group of former First World War pilots at nearby Renfrew Aerodrome three years previously. She quickly gained her private pilot's licence, the first woman in Scotland to do so and gained awards for racing and her landings. On 9th May 1932, aged just 19, she gained her commercial licence, making her the world's first female commercial pilot. She began giving joy rides from Prestwick beach but soon piloted scheduled flights between Renfrew (then the airport for Glasgow) and Campbeltown and London. Initially paid less than her male counterparts, she asked for equality and got it. One of her more notable flights was on the 25th October 1933 when she took a Daily Record journalist to search for the monster in Loch Ness. In 1934, she married Francisco Short, a director of the aeroplane manufacturer Short Brothers, and her flying career ended. In later life she lived for a time near Turnberry (South Ayrshire) but died in New Zealand. Drinkwater is commemorated by a bronze bust in Clyde View Park (Renfrew), a street name adjacent to the Park (Drinkwater Crescent) and a mural in Cardonald (Glasgow).
