Women in uniform: International Women’s Day
March 8th marks International Women’s Day, a globally recognised day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
These are the stories of some of the 20,000 women across the Armed Forces, from women at the start of their careers completing apprenticeships, to those pushing themselves to the limit to achieve extraordinary things.
Gnr IWKariss Artingstall
24 year old Kariss Artingstall from Macclesfield is a Gunner within the 1 Royal Horse Artillery. Several years ago, she decided to take up boxing within her regiment and she now has elite athlete status.
“I got onto the Army Gold squad three years ago, I’ve been boxing for Great Britain for one year now.
“With boxing you need to devote your life to it. To be successful and reach the top, you really do need to live and breathe the sport to a certain extent, which is why I’m thankful to my regiment for releasing me to chase my goals.
“My day to day life as a boxer for Great Britain consists of training three times a day. This usually includes a morning run, technical, bag and pad work in the afternoon and sparring in the evening.
“Of course everyone’s dream is to compete in the Olympics but there are stepping stones on your way up to them, little tournaments here and there across the country, I believe I’m on the right path!”
SAC Roseanne Mills
SAC(Senior Aircraftwoman) Roseanne Mills is completing an apprenticeship as a Vehicle and Mechanical Technician based at RAF Wittering. Currently employed within the Specialist Airfield Vehicle bay, she is responsible for the scheduled maintenance, fault diagnostics and repairs of a varied range of specialist airfield support vehicles.
She was selected for the Women’s RAF Rugby Union first team after only playing in three development games and maintains a high level of personal fitness for this commitment. She aims to steadily develop her engineering skills and progress through the rank structure with a long-term career goal of attaining a Commission.
SAC Amy Lupton
An RAF Photographer currently based at RAF Benson, SAC Lupton is responsible for daily technical photographic work. She has also delivered briefings to the Chief of the Air Staff and various VIPs regarding the Section’s RAF Benson 100 Faces Project, marking the RAF’s centenary with 100 photos of the station’s staff.
She won the RAF Photographic Competition in 2016 and she was instrumental in helping to raise over £20,000 in 2017 by filming, directing and editing a fundraising video for the late Flight Sergeant Anna Irwin’s tandem parachute jump; the film gained over 80,000 views on social media in the first 24 hours.
SAC Lauren Guidi
SAC Lauren Guidi is an RAF Medic currently based at RAF Odiham in support of the RAF Chinook Squadrons. She is responsible for the primary and occupational health of all aircrew and support staff on her station. She has represented the RAF at Badminton and supports the medical team for the RAF Rugby and Boxing Associations. Her aspiration is to qualify as a paramedic to enable her to work on the Medical Emergency Response Team or Critical Care in the Air Surgical Team in the future.
Brigadier Janice Cook
Brigadier Janice Cook has had a 32 year career in the British Army. She was recently appointed as the Head Defence Medical Services Regulator, making her the first female Regulator within the Defence Safety Authority.
“I joined the Army in 1986 as a private soldier, and student nurse. At that time, women were principally limited to two Corps: the Women’s Royal Army Corps and the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps.
“While serving, women had the option to leave the Armed Forces if you married. However, opportunities for a fuller career were constrained by the inability to continue serving if you wished to start a family. Senior female role models were therefore few and far between, and I don’t recall identifying a specific role model, although I must admit that as an 18-year-old Private, my focus was more about avoiding than engaging senior officers.
“The Army I have just described is very much consigned to history. The doors of opportunity have been opened. We are in a new age in which ambition, rather than rules, define possibilities. In my own case, I am a married mother of two, with a 32 year plus career which has seen me promoted from Private to Brigadier and, more recently witness the appointment of the first three star female officer, in the rank of Air Marshal. Women now hold influence and senior positions throughout the three Services and the Civil Service.
“I would therefore say to any young woman considering joining up, if you are prepared to work hard and enjoy challenge then it will only be your own ambition that limits your potential — give it a go!”
