Gwendolen Sergant facts for kids

Gwendolen Sergant was a talented engineer who worked with the British Army. Her friends knew her as 'Bunty'. She was born in Sussex, England, in 1926. Her family had a business that built machines for farms.

Gwendolen became an officer in the Women's Royal Army Corps. She worked with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, often called REME. At one point, she was in charge of a huge number of army vehicles, about 160,000 of them!

Gwendolen's Education

Gwendolen loved engineering. She started studying mechanical engineering at Loughborough College. Sadly, she could not finish her course because her father became ill.

But Gwendolen did not give up. She continued her training as an apprentice at a company called Rheostatic in Slough. During this time, she earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Her Amazing Career

In 1948, Gwendolen started working at Thorn Electrical Industries. For two years, she helped design fluorescent lights.

Joining the Army

In 1953, Gwendolen joined the Women's Royal Army Corps as an engineer. She spent the next 20 years working with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). She was very good at her job and became a Major in 1964.

Gwendolen traveled all over the world with the army. She worked in places like Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand. She also served in Germany with the British Army of the Rhine.

Leading a Big Team

In 1969, Gwendolen became the Officer-in-charge of a large workshop in Aldershot. This workshop was called REME 43 Command Workshop. Here, she was responsible for 160,000 army vehicles. She also led a team of 400 skilled civilian workers. It was during her time in the army that she got her nickname, 'Bunty'.

After the Army

After she got married, Gwendolen took on a new role. She became an assistant secretary at the University of Cambridge. Her job was to find good opportunities for engineering students. She visited many companies and military groups to help graduates find jobs.

In 1977, she wrote about visiting a gas platform in the North Sea. This was for a journal published by the Women's Engineering Society.

Being Part of Engineering Groups

Gwendolen was a very active member of the Women's Engineering Society (WES). She joined in 1944. Later, she was elected to the Council in 1959. She even became the president of WES from 1974 to 1975. She used her married name, Howard, during this time.

In 1975, she led a group from WES to a big meeting in Poland. This meeting was called the Fourth International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists.

In 1979, Gwendolen received a high honor. She was made a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. She was also chosen to be a Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge.

Gwendolen's Personal Life

In 1973, Gwendolen married Lt Cdr John Howard in Aldershot. They had first met when they were students at Loughborough College. After their wedding, they both left the army. They decided to open their own garage and coachworks business in Sussex.

However, their business did not do well. There was an oil crisis at the time, which made it hard to run their company. So, they had to close it down. After this, Gwendolen started her job at the University of Cambridge.

Awards and Recognitions

Gwendolen Sergant received several important awards and recognitions for her work:

• BSc (Bachelor of Science degree)
• C.Eng (Chartered Engineer)
• FIMech.E. (Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers)
• A.M.B.I.M. (Associate Member of the British Institute of Management)