Page 122 - The Light Dragoon 2024

The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
was initially reluctant to involve them as the general attitude was that women were not skilled or resilient enough for traditional military work. In 1916, the Department of National Service considered calling up men in their fifties in order to release more soldiers for front-line service. But this would not raise the numbers needed so, in 1917, the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was established. Women were restricted to ‘feminine’, auxiliary roles, such as store work, administration and catering. By the end of the war the WAAC had been renamed ‘Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC) and 50,000 women had volunteered. It was disbanded in 1921.
The QMAAC laid the foundations for the creation of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in September 1938. During the Second World War (1939-45) women were still not allowed to fight but took on supporting roles such as clerks, drivers, radar operators, telephonists, anti-aircraft gunners, military police and ammunition inspectors. Evelyn Pike, possibly inspired by her father, uncle and grandfather who had all served in the 15th Hussars and whose medals are in the museum collection, volunteered with the ATS in 1939. Quickly promoted to the rank of corporal she was drafted into the Army Pays Corps to help with managing the finances both in England and close to enemy lines in the Mediterranean.
In July 1941 the ATS was given full military status, meaning its members were no longer
volunteers. Later that year the conscription of women was made legal and by mid-1943 more than 80 % of women were employed in war work.
In 1949 the Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC) was formed replacing the role of the ATS, it included all women serving in the Army except medical and veter- inary orderlies, chaplains and nurses. Between 1949 and 1992, members of the WRAC served in over 40 trades in opera- tions across the world including Cyprus, Northern Ireland, the Falklands and the Gulf. Pippa Knight joined the Army in September 1989 at Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and was posted to the 15th/19th Hussars in Detmold, Germany. She was one of the first WRAC Assistant Adjutants to join a cavalry regiment and worked in Regimental Headquarters. Pippa left the regiment in 1991 to work for the Intelligence Corps and left the Army in 1993 as a Captain in the Adjutants General Corps.
The late 20th century witnessed gradual changes in attitudes towards women in the military and the Falklands War in 1982 demonstrated that women could excel in operational environments, prompting a reconsideration of their roles. Following the disbandment of the WRAC in 1992, they were absorbed into the rest of the Army although still largely restricted to support and medical roles. At the time much of the debate about using women in combat focused on the physical and
psychological characteristics rather than the overall contribution they would make to teams and units. Combat roles remained closed to the vast majority of female soldiers until 2016, even though women, by then had been present at the front for some time. The ban on women serving in some parts of the Royal Armoured Corps was lifted in July 2016. In 2018 the first female officer, Alice Strawbridge, was commissioned into The Light Dragoons. ‘It doesn’t matter who you are, if you are good enough to make the standards, you’re good enough to do the job.’ (2Lt Alice Strawbridge, 27 October 2018).
In conclusion, the history of women in the British Army is one of overcoming societal expectations and institutional barriers. From their early roles as support staff to breaking into combat positions, women have proven their capabilities and dedication. The ongoing journey towards gender equality in the military reflects a commitment to harnessing the full potential of all individuals, regardless of gender, in the defence of the nation.
Pippa Knight
Capt Alice Strawbridge
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