Henrietta Bussell

Henrietta (Hettie) Langdale Bussell (19 February 1917 – December 1996) was Britain's first female railway engineer. She served as the president of the Women's Engineering Society from 1976 to 1977.

Early life and education Bussell was born in London, but moved to Newport, Monmouthshire at age 12 with her family. There she won a scholarship to attend a new grammar school in Monmouthshire where she developed a love for maths and physics.

Finding work Bussell left school in 1933 during the Great Depression, a time where it was difficult to find work.

Bussell joined the Women’s Engineering Society in 1951 and became an active member in the London branch. She joined the Society's council in 1961 before becoming President from 1976–77, succeeding Gwendolen 'Bunty' Sergant and being succeeded by Veronica Milligan. Bussell submitted a paper on the Channel Tunnel to the third International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists conference held in Turin in 1971.

Bussell became seriously ill in 1989 and died in Colchester in 1996.