1. Isabella "Bella" Keyzer born Isabella Mitchell was a Scottish weaver who became a welder and shipyard worker.
13 Facts About Bella Keyzer
1. 2.
Bella Keyzer is recognised as an icon for women's equality.
3.
Bella Keyzer's mother worked as a cleaner and in confectionary and her father was a foreman in a bakery and he had been married before.
4.
Bella Keyzer's father was an active trade unionist and he was placed in prison during the 1926 General Strike.
5.
Bella Keyzer was still weaving canvas in 1941 but she had a child with Dirk Keyzer who fought with the allies as a member of the Dutch Royal Navy.
6.
Bella Keyzer was mentioned in dispatches for bravery in evacuating British Military Personnel at Dunkirk and awarded medals by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.
7.
Bella Keyzer is commemorated in the Marinemuseum in Den Helder They married on his return from the war.
8.
In 1942, Keyzer decided that she could get more time with her child if she became a welder.
9.
Bella Keyzer was accepted for training in Rosyth for six weeks and returned to the Caledon shipyard to work alongside the other welders.
10.
Bella Keyzer had a steady job until just before the war ended.
11.
Bella Keyzer married Dirk Keyzer on 1 November 1949 and they went to live in the Netherlands until 1957.
12.
Bella Keyzer went back to work in the UK and in 1976 she enrolled at 1976 Dundee Technical College where she reminded herself of her skill at welding.
13.
Bella Keyzer has a plaque in Dundee to record her life.