Born this day in 1909, Beatrice Shilling had a keen interest in engineerng. At 15 years old she already owned a motorcycle that she’d stripped down and rebuilt herself and her formative years were spent installing wiring and generators. With a clear aptitude, she obtained batchelors and masters degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering. In 1936 she was recruited by the Royal Aircraft Establishment and it was here she made her engineering mark, developing a device for the Merlin engine that “rectified engine stalling during negative-g maneuvers, enhancing the performance of RAF fighter planes”. This had been a problem for Spitfire and Hurricane pilots dogfighting Messerschmitts during the Battle of Britain. Officially called the R.A.E. Restrictor, it became known by the lads at the RAF as “Tilly’s Orifice”. Tilly would oversee the fitting of the device herself, travelling between airfields on her motorcycle during the war. She was awarded the OBE in 1949.
In the 1930’s, she was a keen and well respected racer. Notably breaking the 100mph barrier ar Brooklands in 1934, one of only three women who had done so, on her modified Norton M30 and winning a British Motorcycle Racing Club Gold Star.
In a time when women faced unfair barriers working in a “man’s world”, Beatrice Shilling gave no quarter. Now that’s a proper biker.