Page 72 - RADC 2017

Celebrating 100 Years of Women in the Armed Forces
Sgt Candice Bridgeford, RADC
Friday 7th July 2017 marked the 100th Anniversary of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), allowing women to formally enrol for the first time into the Armed Forces.
Over the past 100 years a woman’s role in the Armed Forces has evolved drastically from nurses in the World Wars to our front line close combat roles. We now deploy in many varied roles of which a few can be seen in Photo 1.
This was a special day for me as an Ex-
Photo 1
WRAC (Womens Royal Army Corps) from 1990 –1992. The WRAC disbanded in 1992 and we joined our male colleagues in our
job roles, mine being with the Royal Signals as a switch board operator. I left in 1994 when our job roles were civilianised. I then re-enlisted into the Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC) in 2001 and I am currently posted
to Dental Centre Camberley as the Practice Manager.
To commemorate the event, 300 proud service women attended the Royal Military
Photo 2
Academy Sandhurst to be part of an aerial photoshoot commemorating the event (Photo 2).
This was followed, the next day, by the 3rd Servicewomen’s Annual Conference and I was fortunate enough to attend alongside some of my RADC Colleagues (Photo 3) including CRSM WO1 Drapier, WO1 Collins, SSgt Beckett, SSgt Slade-Jones, Cpl Bell and LCpl Greenfield.
Photo 3
A Century Of Women At War
Cpl L Hird, RADC
On Friday 7th July a small group of female personnel from the RADC attended
a ceremony at the National Memorial Arboretum, commemorating 100 years
of women in the Armed Forces. In attendance, alongside myself, were Maj Brown, CRSM WO1 Drapier, Cpl Morton, Cpl Johnston and five Phase 1 recruits from Pirbright. The day consisted of music from the tri service military band and the reading out of ‘letters home’ from serving women past and present. We were all given Women at War 100 Poppy Tributes, which we placed at the RADC Memorial. The day ended with some lovely food and drink. A great, memorable day had by all!
A Timeline of Women in the Army
Women play a crucial role in the British Army. Since 2016 they have been able to serve in ground combat roles alongside male colleagues. However, women have been a formal part of the army for 100 years, and the wider story of women’s service stretches even further back in time.
Camp followers and imposters
Women have followed men into battle for centuries. Until the 1850s, women held various unofficial roles in the army as wives, cooks, nurses, midwives, seamstresses, laundresses and even prostitutes. They
lived and worked with a regiment and even travelled abroad with it. These women played a significant role in caring for the physical and emotional wellbeing of soldiers.
War was strictly seen as man’s work.
But that didn’t stop some women wanting to take part. There are several well known cases of women disguising themselves in order to fight. However, their experience was far from the norm.
1639-51
Civil Wars of Britain
So many women disguised themselves as
soldiers to fight that King Charles I issued a proclamation banning women from wearing men’s military clothing.
1688-1713
Nine Years War and War of the Spanish Succession. Christian ‘Kit’ Cavanagh disguised herself as a male soldier to take part in the campaigns of King William III and the Duke of Marlborough.
1740-48
War of the Austrian Succession.
In August 1748 Hannah Snell took part
in the capture of the French colony of
Pondicherry. She also fought in the Battle of Devicotta in June 1749. Snell was wounded several times during her service but managed to keep her sex a secret.
1815
Battle of Waterloo.
Several women accompanied the Anglo-
Allied Army into action. A handful were found dead on the field in the aftermath of the battle.
1813-64
A surgeon of the Empire, Dr James Barry, had a distinguished career as an army surgeon. On his death he was discovered to have been a woman.
Nursing
With the ongoing professionalisation of the army in the second half of the 19th century, women found themselves increasingly excluded from service. However, one area where women’s involvement flourished was through nursing.
Florence Nightingale revolutionised the nursing profession during the Crimean War (1854-56) and established its necessity
by caring for sick and wounded soldiers. Professional, trained nurses returned to the battlefield in later conflicts and organisations were created to formalise their work.
1855
The Lady with the Lamp, Florence
70 RADC BULLETIN 2017
MILITARY MATTERS