Baby name story: Sarah

rescue helicopter

In February of 1956, Joyce Atherton of Ugthorpe, England, went into labor. An ambulance from nearby Whitby couldn’t reach her because of the snow on the ground, so helicopter pilot Ron Salt of the No. 275 Squadron RAF (Royal Air Force) flew in, picked her up, and transported her to the hospital.

Days later, a baby girl arrived. She was named Mary Sarah Atherton. Where did her middle name come from? It was inspired by the acronym SARAH, “Search And Rescue And Homing,” as Ron’s group was also known as a Search and Rescue and Homing Squadron.

(SARAH was actually a piece of equipment the squadron pilots used. It was a miniature transmitter developed in the early 1950s to help rescuers locate downed pilots, especially during air-sea rescues.)

Source: “Sarah Named After Her Air Rescuers.” Bulletin and Scots Pictorial 19 Mar. 1956: 5.

[Other acronym baby names: Kytal, Ily, Ilys, Ynwa, Liati]

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