Women and the Army

Discover how women have helped shape the British Army with a day of performances, music and talks.
ATS women outside their Nissen huts, 1945
Discover how women have helped shape the British Army with a day of performances, music and talks.

As part of Women’s History Month, join us for a day of activities looking at the life of women in the Army at different points in time.

Programme

10am - 12pm and 2pm - 4pm

Step back in time

Go back in time to the Second World War. Quiz a woman from the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women's branch of the Army, to discover her story and learn more on what life was like for women at the time.

11am, 1pm, 3pm

Family-friendly performances

Join us for a performance of the incredible tale of Mother Ross, who disguised herself as a man to join the British Army.

1.30pm for 2pm start

Real women: 5 x 15 talks

Hear from serving and ex-serving female personnel as they share their personal experiences of the British Army. Each will speak for 15 minutes to tell their story.

  • Betty Webb: served at Bletchley Park and was a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service.
  • Moira Cameron: served a full career in the 1970s and 1980s and was the first ever female Yeoman of the Guard at the Tower of London.
  • Ali Brown: served from the 1980s until 2011 through conflicts in the Gulf and the Balkans, and is now vice-president of the Women's Royal Army Corps Association.
  • Colonel Lucy Giles: the first ever female college commander at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and winner of the Women in Defence award in 2017. Lucy is still serving.
  • Lisa Jones: sings as part of Brompton Military Wives Choir. Her husband is the Commanding Officer of 36 Engineer Regiment. And her mum, an RAF veteran and military wife herself, is also part of the Military Wives Choirs network, singing with Plymouth MWC.

11.45am - 12.15pm and 3.20pm - 4pm

Military Wives Choirs performances

Be entertained by the music of the Military Wives Choirs. This charity brings together women in the military community to sing, share and support one another.

11.30am - 12pm and 1pm - 1.30pm

Gallery tours

Join us for a 30-minute guided tour of the galleries exploring the theme of women in the Army.

10am - 1pm and 2pm - 4pm

Object handling

Get hands-on with objects in the collection relating to women's experiences within the Army.

Explore further

Story

A timeline of women in the Army

Since 2018, all British Army combat roles have been open to female soldiers. However, the history of women's service in the Army stretches much further back in time.

Story

Stepping into line

As the entire nation mobilised for the First World War, women took up new challenges. Many of these opportunities had previously been off limits, including military service.

Story

Breaking boundaries

During the Second World War, the women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service took on increasingly diverse roles. But, like their First World War predecessors, they were still prevented from fighting.