Ira Rischowski: refugee engineer

How did one of Germany’s very first female engineers end up working in Britain during World War 2? The little-known story of Ira Rischowski is certainly not one of espionage. Hers is instead a drama of escape from Nazi persecution and narrowing opportunities until she was able to join the UK’s Women’s Engineering Society (WES).

Learning more from the archives: the Register of Women Engineers, 1935

Tracing the history of women in engineering can be challenging; often women’s work is undocumented or disguised. This blog focuses on a small, but incredible revealing, source from the IET archives: the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) Register of Women Engineers, published in the Autumn of 1935. Find out more about what it can tell us about the lives of women in engineering.

History of women in engineering at the IET Archives

For anyone looking into the history of women in British engineering, the archive of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) from its foundation is an essential resource. This blog will offer an introduction to the holdings of the archive and how they can help us research the history of women in engineering.

Who launched the Women’s Engineering Society in 1919?

The Women’s Engineering Society (WES) is currently marking a major anniversary, founded on June 23rd 1919. Since then it has supported women working independently as engineers for 100 years, both in Britain and around the world. But what was it that brought the Society together in the first place?

Introducing Electrifying Women: the long history of women in engineering

On the 23rd June 1919 seven eminent and wealthy women in Britain did something extraordinary and unprecedented; they founded the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), the first society of its kind in the world. One hundred years later, in its centenary year, having been sustained by various talented and persevering women, WES continues to promote and support women engineers. Find out more about how the Electrifying Women project will support the WES centenary in this blog.