Dorothée Pullinger – an accomplished automobile engineer, racing car driver, entrepreneur and founding member of the Women’s Engineering Society – could become the first woman to be included in the Hall of Heroes at The National Wallace Monument in Stirling.
Dorothée Pullinger was a pioneer and inspiration for women in the male-dominated field of engineering. During the first world war, she became Lady Superintendent at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness; responsible for 7,000 women employed in manufacturing high explosive shells
In the inter-war year’s she worked as the director and manager of Galloway Motors and was responsible for the design and commercialisation of a car specifically designed for women – the Galloway (10/20 CV, 4 cylinders, capacity 1528 cc.) based on the Fiat 501.
Dorothée Pullinger driving the Galloway – a car she built “for women” in 1924.
In World War Two, Pullinger managed 13 factories and was the only woman on a post-war Industrial Panel of the Ministry of Production which was formed to recruit women into factories.
She achieved all this at a time when men dominated engineering and industry and working women were often regarded as “stealing a man’s job”.
Find out more about Pullingers amazing life at the engineeringhalloffame.org
The Hall of Heroes
The existing Hall of Heroes at National Wallace Monument in Stirling
King Robert the Bruce, Sir Walter Scott and John Knox are amongst the men currently honoured at the The Hall of Heroes at National Wallace Monument in Stirling. However, the momentum currently includes no women.
Dorothée Pullinger is among 14 remarkable women who have shaped Scottish art, culture, sport, medicine, science and public life who you can vote to be included later this year.
The other women from on the shortlist are Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, Màiri Mhòr nan Òran, Jean Redpath, Nancy Riach, Elsie Inglis, Sophia Jex Blake, Maggie Keswick Jencks, Dorothée Pullinger, Chrystal Macmillan, Mary Somerville, Christian Maclagan, Jane Haining and Mary Slessor.
Voting for the award takes place online at www.nationalwallacemonument.com.
The deadline for final votes is March 31 with the final selection announced in April.