Mrs. Victor Bruce
Toronto Daily Star, December 1 1930
Mildred Bruce (1895-1990), commonly referred to as Mrs. Victor Bruce, seems to have been born with the need to travel very quickly. At the age of 15, she was riding her brother's motorcycle around West London. In 1920, she bought her first car and was prosecuted on three consecutive days for speeding.
In 1927, she took up endurance motor racing, finishing sixth in the Monte Carlo Rally after going three days without sleeping. Later that year, accompanied by her husband, a journalist, and an engineer, she drove north from Europe to 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the farthest north that a car was driven until the 21st century.
In 1929, she started taking powerboats on endurance trials. She crossed the English Channel both ways in one trip. Later that year, she travelled 694 nautical miles in 24 hours.
After this, she took up flying. By 1930, she owned her own plane, the Bluebird, and took it on a round-the-world trip, becoming the first woman to accomplish this feat as a solo pilot (crossing the oceans on a ship). The total distance of the trip was about 19,000 miles.
Ms. Bruce never gave up her love of going fast: at the age of 78, she test-drove a car at 110 miles per hour.
Created September 12, 2025.