Frances Beatrice Bradfield (9 October 1895– 26 February 1967) was an aeronautical engineer at the
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), bef ...
(RAE). She worked at
RAE Farnborough
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in me ...
, where she headed the Wind Tunnels Section.
Here she mentored many of the younger male engineers who joined the RAE.
Early life and education
Frances Bradfield was born in 1895, in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
, and in 1914 "came up" to
Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College is a women's Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge.
The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sid ...
, graduating with a second class BA degree in Mathematics in 1917.
Royal Aeronautical Establishment
Sometime after graduating from Cambridge, probably around 1919, Bradfield joined the
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), bef ...
(RAE) at
Farnborough, Hampshire
Farnborough is a town in northeast Hampshire, England, part of the borough of Rushmoor and the Farnborough/Aldershot Built-up Area. Farnborough was founded in Anglo-Saxons, Saxon times and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is ...
, where she spent her entire career research aeronautics and specialising in
Wind tunnel
Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...
research. Bradfield's earliest published research at the RAE - credited gender-ambiguously to "F.B. Bradfield" - was published in December 1919 on "Wind channel test of Bristol Pullman body."
During her first decade and beyond, Bradfield published her wind tunnel research prolifically, publishing two research papers most years.
In the early 1930s (before 1934), Bradfield worked with George Douglas then Head of Wind Tunnels at
RAE Farnborough
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in me ...
as his mathematician. Her job was to liaise between
Hermann Glauert
Hermann Glauert, FRS (4 October 1892 – 6 August 1934) was a British aerodynamicist and Principal Scientific Officer of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough until his death in 1934.
Early life and education
Glauert was born in Shef ...
, then Head of Aerodynamics Department, and Douglas. Glauert was killed in an accident in 1934, and so Douglas was appointed Head of Aerodynamics Department and Bradfield became the Head of Wind Tunnels (more informally known as the small wind tunnel section of the model research department), a role she held for the remainder of the 1930s and throughout
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
In 1935, Bradfield appeared in the Imperial Calendar and Civil Service list for this year. Not being an engineer, Bradfield insisted on having Charles Callen as her supporting engineer, in order to ensure that what they did in the wind tunnels was sound engineering-wise. In March 1939, Bradfield in collaboration with D.L. Ellis presented a paper before the
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...
on "The Use of Model Data in Aeroplane Design," published in ''the Women Engineer''. In November 1939, Bradfield was listed as a Senior Scientific Officer at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at
RAE Farnborough
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in me ...
. In December 1941, Bradfield was one of the two female Associate Fellows of the
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...
doing "important work" at
RAE Farnborough
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in me ...
. By 1946, when
Johanna Weber
Johanna Weber (8 August 1910 – 24 October 2014) was a Germany, German-born British people, British mathematician and aerodynamicist. She is best known for her contributions to the development of the Handley Page Victor bomber and the Concorde.
...
joined the Low Speed Wind Tunnels division at
RAE Farnborough
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in me ...
, Bradfield was head of the Low Speed Wind Tunnels Division of the Aerodynamics Department. Bradfield's female colleagues at
RAE Farnborough
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in me ...
included
Weber and
Beatrice Shilling
Beatrice Shilling (8 March 1909 – 18 November 1990) was a British aeronautical engineer, motorcycle racer and sports car racer. In 1949, Shilling was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
During the Second World War Shi ...
.
Awards and recognition
At some point between 1919 and 1935, Bradfield became a 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 ...
(WES) but was not a particularly active member and was only mentioned occasionally in their journal, ''The Women Engineer''. Bradfield became a Fellow of the
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...
(FRAeS) in 1944 and won their Bronze Medal in 1949.
In 1947, Bradfield was awarded an
OBE in recognition of her role as Principal Scientific Officer at
RAE Farnborough
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in me ...
.
Later life
Bradfield died in
Poole
Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...
in 1967. A former colleague, John Green, described Bradfield, known as 'Miss B.', as "an exacting but kindly boss who had a powerful influence on the generation of young graduates who were posted into Aerodynamics Department at the beginning of the war – an influence that they carried with them through their later careers into senior positions."
Bradfield's biography
was published by the
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
on 9 May 2019, as part of their support for 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 ...
's centenary.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradfield, Frances
1895 births
1967 deaths
British women engineers
British aerospace engineers
20th-century British engineers
20th-century women engineers
Women's Engineering Society