Verena Winifred Holmes was an English mechanical engineer and multi-field inventor, the first woman member elected to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Institution of Locomotive Engineers, and was a strong supporter of women in engineering.
19 Facts About Verena Holmes
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Verena Holmes was one of the early members of the Women's Engineering Society, and its president in 1931.
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Verena Holmes was the first practising engineer to serve as president of the society.
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Verena Holmes was one of three children, her brother Maurice Gerald Holmes became a leading British civil servant.
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Verena Holmes's sister Flora or Florence Ruth Holmes, known as Ruth, was a writer.
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Verena Holmes was educated at Oxford High School for Girls, and after leaving school worked briefly as a photographer before the outbreak of the First World War enabled her to start working at the Integral Propeller Company, Hendon, on the manufacture of wooden propellers.
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Verena Holmes then moved to Lincoln to work for the industrial engine manufacturer Ruston and Hornsby, where she started as a supervisor for 1,500 women employees.
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In 1922, Verena Holmes graduated from Loughborough Engineering College with a BSc degree.
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Verena Holmes became an associate member of the Institution of Marine Engineers in 1924 and was the first woman to be admitted to the Institution of Locomotive Engineers in 1931.
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Verena Holmes patented a number of inventions, including the Verena Holmes and Wingfield pneumo-thorax apparatus for treating patients with tuberculosis, a surgeon's headlamp, a poppet valve for steam locomotives, and rotary valves for internal combustion engines.
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Verena Holmes held patents for twelve inventions for medical devices as well as engine components.
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Verena Holmes was appointed headquarters technical officer with the Ministry of Labour.
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Together with Caroline Haslett and Claudia Parsons, Verena Holmes was active in the Women's Engineering Society, founded in 1919.
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Verena Holmes served that society in several capacities, including president in 1930 and 1931 and was involved in the complex discussions about the organisation's direction of travel which led to the resignation of the second president Katharine Parsons in 1925.
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Verena Holmes was a delegate at first International Conference of Women in Science, Industry and Commerce in July 1925.
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In 1946 Verena Holmes founded the engineering firm of Verena Holmes and Leather in Gillingham, Kent, with Sheila Leather a fellow WES member and future President.
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Verena Holmes was influential in setting up the Women's Technical Services Register during the Second World War, which included a training course for women munitions workers to enable them to apply for roles such as junior draughtsmen and laboratory assistants.
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From 1969, the Women's Engineering Society supported a yearly Verena Holmes lecture, given at various venues across Britain to children aged nine to eleven to encourage interest in engineering.
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The Institute of Mechanical Engineers now has a Verena Winifred Holmes award first awarded in 2015.