Elizabeth Killick


Elizabeth "Betty" Audrey Killick was a British naval electronics engineer who worked on radar and weapons systems at the Ministry of Defence. In 1982, she became the first woman to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Early life

Killick was born in London to George Killick and Winifred Baines. Her father was a chartered accountant who was made an Order of the British Empire in 1954 for service to the Cotton Board. Her maternal grandfather was a political agent, and her mother's brothers worked for the London Stock Exchange. Killick attended Streatham and Clapham High School. She moved to Cheshire during World War II to avoid the Blitz.

Career

Killick joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and worked as a radar mechanic. When she was demobilized in 1947, Killick joined the Royal Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine as a laboratory assistant. She was a student at the University of St Andrews where she earned a degree in natural philosophy in 1951 and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1998.
Killick joined the Admiralty Signals and Radar Establishment, where she was the first woman to reach the rank of Senior Principal Scientific Officer in 1966. She joined the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment in 1969. Here she worked on the radar systems used in Royal Navy warships, as well as the torpedoes used in submarines and aircraft. She concentrated on defence and radar systems before moving to the design of torpedoes. She served as Deputy Chief Scientific Officer and Head of the Weapons Department. The AUWE created new homing and guidance systems for the torpedoes, which were eventually incorporated into submarines' Spearfish and Sting Ray torpedoes. During her time at the AUWE, the main building became known as Betty's Hilton because of Killick's presence. She did not like being considered a "woman engineer"; and would not permit the Women's Engineering Society to interview her. Whilst she preferred being known for her excellence, not her gender, she worked to promote equality during her time at the AUWE. This included removing a rule claiming women must wear skirts.
In 1980, Killick was elected Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, and was the first woman to be elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1982. She served as a board member for the Marine Technology Directorate, where she coordinated projects between the government, academia and industry. After leaving the AUWE, Killick joined the General Electric Company, who were building the torpedoes developed by Killick. She did not get on well with Arnold Weinstock and left the organisation.

Personal life

Killick lived in Stoughton, West Sussex. She died of a heart attack on 7 July 2019.