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IET Archives blog

Stories from the Institution of Engineering and Technology

Women’s work? Women at the BBC during World War II

By Asha Gage, IET Archivist As the BBC celebrates its centenary in 2022, we look at one aspect on how it was at the forefront, not only technologically, but by breaking down barriers for women’s employment in the technical arena.Women... Continue Reading →

Electricity Without Tears: How the EAW taught children about electricity

By Aisling O'Malley, IET Archivist In November 1924, the Women’s Electrical Association was formed at a meeting organised by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES). By 1925 the organisation, whose director at this time was WES Secretary Dame Caroline Haslett, was... Continue Reading →

Sorting and storing the IET Library pamphlets

Hear from Dawn White in the IET Library about a project nearing completion to tidy up the Institution's large pamphlet collection. When I joined the Institution over 30 years ago the Pamphlet collection was stored all over the Savoy Place... Continue Reading →

The driving force: the story of The Electrical Power Storage Company

By Asha Gage, IET Archivist In 1882 The Electrical Power Storage Company (EPS) was established at 4 Great Winchester Street, London with a factory works at 84 West Ferry Road, Millwall. It manufactured the Swan-Sellon-Volckmar accumulator, and it could be... Continue Reading →

IET’s historical link with Alice Springs and the Overland Telegraph Line

Guest author, Stephen Gillam-Smith BSc CEng MIET (Great-Grandson of Charles and Alice Todd) Alice Springs was named after the wife of Charles Todd who, in 1873, was elected a Member of the Society of Telegraph Engineers, the predecessor of today’s... Continue Reading →

Steam cars and electric lamps: the expansive career of Colonel Crompton

By Anne Locker The first steam traction engines in India. The first electric lights installed in the Vienna Opera House. The first domestic electricity supply schemes in the UK. These, and many more engineering firsts, were the work of the... Continue Reading →

Hire purchases, milk puddings and difficult friends

By Anne Locker This is the third blog in a series on the Caroline Haslett correspondence project, looking at the ‘D’ section of the correspondence. For earlier blog posts, see here and here. As Director of the Electrical Association for... Continue Reading →

The EAW’s War on Waste

By Aisling O'Malley, IET Archivist The Second World War saw the UK experience shortages in most commodities. From 1939 rationing of items was introduced to the UK, initially this affected goods such as petrol but later affected food and clothes.... Continue Reading →

A right royal get-together

A blog looking at the royal visits to industry in 1946 in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee in 2022. By Asha Gage, IET Archivist. To effectively meet the demands that war brings, organisations are urged to mobilise their... Continue Reading →

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