The sun shone yesterday as I cut the ribbon to open The Tilly
Shilling in Victoria Road, Farnborough, a JD Wetherspoon pub,
which promises good food and drinks, in an environment
celebrating the history of the town, particularly by featuring
Beatrice “Tilly” Shilling, the famous aircraft engineer, who
made a crucial contribution to the Second World War effort. From
Wikipedia, I learned that Shilling was born at Waterlooville,
Hampshire, the daughter of a butcher. After leaving school, she
worked for an electrical engineering company for three years,
installed wiring and generators.Her employer, Margaret
Partridge, encouraged her to take a degree in Electrical
Engineering at Manchester University, which she completed in
1932 and stayed on for a year to do a MSc in Mechanical
Engineering. She was later recruited as a scientific officer by
the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough. In the 1930s,
Shilling raced motorcycles. She beat professional riders, such
as Noel Pope, and was awarded the Gold Star for lap