Britain’s original It girl, Diana Barnato-Walker, died earlier this month at the age of 90, but her legacy is far more than a crap pop record or a sex tape. The granddaughter of a South African diamond millionaire, Diana became known for late nights spent at the Embassy and 400 Club in London. She ditched the partying when WWII started, saying, “it was assumed war was men's business. We had a duty to back them up. We could hardly sit about looking pretty and doing nothing, could we?”

She became an 'atagirl' – an Air Transport Auxiliary pilot delivering newly-built and battle-ready aircraft to airfields all over Europe – and was quietly proud of the fact that she managed to land every one, whatever the weather, without a scratch. She was the only British woman on record to fly at the controls of a Mark 9 Spitfire, and in 1963 became the first woman to break the sound barrier at what is now Durham Tees Valley Airport, reaching a speed of 1262mph. What's more, she always combed her hair and put on make-up when she landed.

Diana was appointed MBE in 1965, and enjoyed hunting and sheep farming, and last flew a plane when she was 88. Her tenacity extended to her private life. For 30-odd years she kept up a relationship with the American-born racing driver, Whitney Straight. They had a son, and Diana never asked Straight to leave his wife. "I was perfectly content," she explained. "I had my own identity." A Lipster lady indeed.