Marjorie Bell
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Marjorie Bell BSc, GradIEE, CEng, MIISO, MIOSH, HonMWES (26 December 1906 – 10 June 2001) was a British electrical engineer and factory inspector. Bell had a number of jobs and ran her own clothing factory before becoming the first woman to study electronic engineering at the
Northampton Institute City, University of London was a public university from 1966 to 2024 in London, England. It merged with St George's, University of London to form City St George's, University of London in August 2024. The names "City, University of London" and ...
. After graduation, she became a lecturer and demonstrator of electrical appliances. She became a
factory inspector A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...
in 1936 and worked across the country, receiving a medal for her work during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Afterwards Bell worked as an inspector in
Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...
at the time of the 1947–1948 civil war. Upon her return to the United Kingdom she was promoted to district inspector and received the
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal () is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir from the Queen to members of the Royal Family ...
. In retirement Bell sat on numerous industrial safety committees. She participated in the first
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization CENELEC (; ) is responsible for European standardization in the area of electrical engineering. Together with ETSI (telecommunications) and CEN (other technical areas), it forms the European system for technical standardization. Standards harmon ...
working group on electrical toy safety and became the first woman ever to chair a
British Standards Institution The British Standards Institution (BSI) is the Standards organization, national standards body of the United Kingdom. BSI produces technical standards on a wide range of products and services and also supplies standards certification services ...
technical standards committee. Bell was a
chartered engineer Regulation and licensure in engineering is established by various jurisdictions of the world to encourage life, public welfare, safety, well-being, then environment and other interests of the general public and to define the licensure process thr ...
, a graduate member of the
Institution of Electrical Engineers The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and information technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. It began in 1871 as the Society of Tel ...
, a member of the Institution of Industrial Safety Officers and a member of the
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is a global organisation for health and safety professionals, based in the UK. Structure IOSH is the chartered professional body for health and safety in the workplace. It acts as a cham ...
. She was an active member of the
Women's Engineering Society The Women's Engineering Society is a United Kingdom professional learned society and networking body for women engineers, scientists and technologists. It was the first professional body set up for women working in all areas of engineering, pred ...
, sitting on many of its committees and serving as president in 1956–57.


Early life

Marjorie Bell was born on 26 December 1906 in
Edmonton, Middlesex Edmonton is a town in north London, England within the London Borough of Enfield, a local government district of Greater London. The northern part of the town is known as Lower Edmonton or Edmonton Green, and the southern part as Upper Edmonton ...
. She came from a modest family, her father and two of her brothers were engineering fitters. Bell attended a convent high school before finding work helping to make equipment at the
Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company was a company founded in the late 1870s by Robert Fulcher. The original use of the company was to service instruments for the Cambridge physiology department. In the beginning, the company was financially d ...
which she had previously visited on a school trip. Shortly afterwards Bell founded her own clothing factory. After moving to
Bungay Bungay () is a market town, civil parish and electoral ward in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . It lies in the Waveney Valley, west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at th ...
, Suffolk, she held a succession of jobs including shovelling coal at a gas works for the Bungay Gas and Electricity Company. Bell then became the first female student to attend the
Northampton Institute City, University of London was a public university from 1966 to 2024 in London, England. It merged with St George's, University of London to form City St George's, University of London in August 2024. The names "City, University of London" and ...
's electronic engineering course. In the course of her studies she spent a term and a holiday break working at the research laboratories of the General Electric Corporation. In 1932 she joined the
Women's Engineering Society The Women's Engineering Society is a United Kingdom professional learned society and networking body for women engineers, scientists and technologists. It was the first professional body set up for women working in all areas of engineering, pred ...
and sat on many of their local branch committees. Bell graduated from the Institute with a bachelor of science degree in 1934 and afterwards lectured at the Woolwich Technical College. Also during this time she worked as a demonstrator at the showrooms of the Worthing Town Council electrical department, and afterwards for the
Municipal Borough of Ealing Ealing was a local government district from 1863 to 1965 around the town of Ealing which formed part of the built up area of London until 1965, where it became part of Greater London. History A local board of health was formed for the southern p ...
.


Factory inspector

Bell joined Her Majesty's Factory Department as a
factory inspector A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...
in 1936. She worked in Bristol, Walsall and the East Midlands inspecting factories that cured fish, made bricks, canned fruit and manufactured fertilizers. For her work during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Bell was awarded a medal. In 1947 she was appointed inspector of labour in the British administered territory of
Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...
and later became chief inspector of factories in that state. Bell supervised canning factories in
Jaffa Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...
, potash, olive oil and soap works around the
Dead Sea The Dead Sea (; or ; ), also known by #Names, other names, is a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east, the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the west and Israel to the southwest. It lies in the endorheic basin of the Jordan Rift Valle ...
and oil refineries at
Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
and led a mixed Jewish and Arab team. Despite the ongoing civil war in Mandatory Palestine which saw some of the factories caught in the crossfire Bell later stated that her time in Palestine was amongst her fondest memories. After a year she returned to the United Kingdom as a factory inspector in Wolverhampton where she was responsible for the factories that made a large proportion of the British glass production. Bell was promoted to district inspector for Gloucester, then Blackburn and London. She was awarded the
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal () is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir from the Queen to members of the Royal Family ...
in 1953 and served as president of the Women's Engineering Society for their 1956–57 session. She succeeded
Kathleen Cook Kathleen Cook is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 2023 Manitoba general election. She represents the district of Roblin (electoral district), Roblin as a member of the Manitoba Progressive Con ...
in the role and was succeeded in turn by
Madeleine Nobbs Madeleine Marie Nobbs (14 December 1914 – 10 December 1970) was a building services engineer, responsible for the reprovision of services to the Old Bailey in London after the Second World War, and president of the Women's Engineering Society ...
. As a woman Bell was forced to retire at the age of 60 under a civil service policy of the time.


Later career

After retirement Bell worked for a number of consultancies and sat on numerous industrial safety committees. She sat on the first ever
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization CENELEC (; ) is responsible for European standardization in the area of electrical engineering. Together with ETSI (telecommunications) and CEN (other technical areas), it forms the European system for technical standardization. Standards harmon ...
working group on electrical toy safety and became the first woman ever to chair a
British Standards Institution The British Standards Institution (BSI) is the Standards organization, national standards body of the United Kingdom. BSI produces technical standards on a wide range of products and services and also supplies standards certification services ...
technical standards committee (which was also on toys). Bell was a graduate member of the
Institution of Electrical Engineers The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and information technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. It began in 1871 as the Society of Tel ...
and a member of the Institution of Industrial Safety Officers and
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is a global organisation for health and safety professionals, based in the UK. Structure IOSH is the chartered professional body for health and safety in the workplace. It acts as a cham ...
. She became a
chartered engineer Regulation and licensure in engineering is established by various jurisdictions of the world to encourage life, public welfare, safety, well-being, then environment and other interests of the general public and to define the licensure process thr ...
and was appointed an honorary member of the Women's Engineering Society in 1972. In her spare time Bell was a member of
Soroptimist International Soroptimist International (SI) , founded in 1921, is a global volunteer service for women with almost 66,000 members in 118 countries worldwide. Soroptimist International also offers Associate Membership and E-Clubs. Soroptimist International h ...
, a bee keeper and looked after two allotments. She died in Enfield, London on 10 June 2001. Bell left her body to science and had a non-religious funeral.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Marjorie 1906 births 2001 deaths Alumni of City, University of London People from Edmonton, London British electrical engineers British women engineers Factory inspectors Presidents of the Women's Engineering Society