HISTORY
WOMEN IN THE ACF IT IS 40 YEARS SINCE THE ARMY CADET FORCE ANNOUNCED THAT WOMEN COULD ENTER AS ADULT VOLUNTEERS...
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n 1978, it was announced in the ACF magazine that counties would be allowed to recruit female adult volunteers for the first time. It was a move spearheaded by Col WMS Jeffery, Commandant at Merseyside ACF, who had carried out a trial in 1976. By the end of the trial, Col Jeffery was adamant that admitting women to the ACF was the right thing to do.
Positive response Giving more details on how Merseyside initiated the trial, he said: “We felt it would be advisable to have a suitable lady to coordinate activities and training. Luck came our way in the form of Capt Aileen Moran, who was about to retire from the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps and who assumed the role with enormous enthusiasm and effect.” Support from the local press, along with
28 ACF SUMMER 2018
A QUESTION OF NUMBERS THE INTRODUCTION OF women and girls into the ACF happened slowly. Detachments needed female CFAVs in order to introduce girl cadets, but it was difficult to get female instructors without girl cadets already in place. As late as 1984, the ACF Manual stated that enrolment of female cadets (and recruitment of female CFAVs) was “subject to the consent of the cadet commandant” concerned. Detachments could have a maximum of two female CFAVs where girls had been enrolled, and one where only male cadets were present. In 1984, the ACF Manual stated that within detachments female cadets should not exceed 40% of the total strength, and that “the total number of female cadets in a County ACF is not to exceed 25% of the total strength”.
Today, there are no such quotas on how many female cadets or female CFAVs can be recruited, however detachments still have to have enough female CFAVs to accompany female cadets on trips away.
cadets 25.2% female in 2011 cadets 32.6% female in 2017 CFAVs 26.8% female in 2011 CFAVs 28.6% female in 2017
Images: Courtesy of Geri Burns-McCombe, PRO, Merseyside ACF
Recent cadets from Merseyside ACF, the first ACF county to welcome female CFAVs
G EN ES AT T IDTEURD IES S U R VEY