Barbara Mary Dunn, G6YL (1896–1979) was the first British woman to gain an amateur transmitting license, this was in 1927. Her callsign was G6YL, as in Young Lady. Her interest began after her father bought a wireless set in 1923. Hearing Morse transmission interference from ships and coastal stations sparked her curiosity. She taught herself Morse code by listening to the ships and coastal stations. Within months, she could copy around 20 words per minute, later becoming capable of considerably higher speeds.
Barbara built much of her own transmitting and receiving equipment and operated initially from Stock, Essex, and later from Northumberland. She was particularly devoted to CW rather than voice operation and became highly accomplished at long-distance communication. In 1930, she won the RSGB's Committee Cup for her work in 1.7 MHz tests, apparently becoming the first woman to hold an RSGB trophy.