Gertrude Lilian Entwisle

Gertrude Lilian Entwisle
Born 12 June 1892
Swinton, Greater Manchester
Died 18 November 1961
Sale, Greater Manchester
Nationality British
Education University of Manchester
Occupation Electrical engineer
Known for Engineering design

Gertrude Lilian Entwisle (12 June 1892–18 November 1961) was an electrical engineer who was the first student member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (now the Institution of Engineering and Technology) and the first female engineer to work at British Westinghouse.[1] Entwisle was known for her work on designing DC motors and exciters.

Early life and education

Entwisle was educated at Manchester High School for Girls and obtained a scholarship to the University of Manchester where she studied from 1911-1914. Entwisle originally studied physics, but was able to attend engineering classes when they were opened to female students.

Career

In 1915, at the beginning of the World War I, British Westinghouse (later Metropolitan-Vickers) was looking into the recruitment of women engineers to manage the shortages of skilled technical employees at the time. The Chief Engineer John S Peck (who had taken out patents on electrical distribution systems[2]) had approached the Manchester College of Science and Technology to enquire about suitable candidates, and when the invitation came to Entwisle's attention she joined the compaby, working first on test results and then on the design of DC motors.[3] There was some consternation among the management when she asked for permission to enter the engineering works: eventually it was decided that she was permitted as long as she did not wear trousers.[4]

Professional organisations

Entwisle joined the Institution of Electrical Engineers as a Student Member in 1916 and became a Graduate Member in 1919 and an Associate Member in 1920 - she was the first woman to become a member in each of these grades.[1] When she attended her first IEE lecture, the chairman of the meeting stopped proceedings as he suspected her of being a militant suffragette bent on disrupting the meeting. She was, however, soon accepted by her fellow engineers, and the next time she was barred from a meeting the secretary appeared to vouch for her.[4]

The Women's Engineering Society had been founded in 1919, and Entwisle was one of its founder members. She was a member of Council, first secretary of the Manchester Branch and President from 1941-1943.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Archives Gertrude Entwisle biography - The IET". www.theiet.org. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  2. ↑ Peck, John S. (3 May 1904). "System of electrical distribution". Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  3. ↑ Hardwich, Isabel Helen (Autumn 1954). "Retirement of Miss Gertrude L Entwisle AMIEE". The Woman Engineer. 7 no, 14: 3–9 – via Institution of Engineering and Technology.
  4. 1 2 Entwisle, Gertrude (Winter 1956). "Engineering as a career for girls". The Woman Engineer. 8 no. 3: 16–22 – via Institution of Engineering and Technology.
  5. ↑ "The new President". The Woman Engineer. 5 no. 8: 113. Autumn 1941 – via Institution of Engineering and Technology.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.