Corps News
REME Women’s Network Scribe: Lt Col Katy Badham-Thornhill
T
he REME Servicewomen’s Network (RSN), often shortened in speech to the REME Women’s Network (RWN), was set up in 2019 to provide a forum for discussion of ideas, issues and opportunities for women across the REME family including Regular, Reserve and Veteran REME women. An informal network primarily focused on pulling together REME women for sports teams across the Corps has existed for many years and the formation of the REME Women’s Network was a natural further progression to enable the Corps to be firmly linked into the Army Servicewomen’s Network and other Corps Networks. The last 25 years have seen remarkable progress for REME women, and our women are now represented across every rank and trade, and almost every specialism within the Corps. There have also been superb achievements by REME women across the full spectrum of sporting and adventurous training activities seeing our Corps represented at Corps, Army and UK Armed Forces levels. It is interesting, though, that despite those achievements, we have not significantly increased the number of
WO1 (Command Sergeant Major) Maz Hoer
8 craftsmaneditor@reme-rhq.org.uk
Lt Col Katy Badham-Thornhill
women in the Corps over that same 25-year period. Since its formation, the REME Women’s Network has conducted events, both in person and virtual, to provide mentorship, information and inspiration across the Network. The Network has also provided an informal source for information gathering and an exchange of views for our Network members. Working in close coordination with three other STEM Corps: Army Air Corps, Royal Signals and Royal Engineers, the REME Women’s Network provides presentations and support to a wide variety of women to consider technical careers in the British Army. The Network is available to the Corps to support the consideration and evolution of policy, the development of ideas and initiatives and engagement with Army and Defence Networks to provide speakers and representatives. We are also looking forward to working with the Colonel REME, RHQ REME and the wider Corps to support discussions that may be initiated after the recent the #Teamwork conversations. We’d be delighted for men and women across the Corps to get involved - to do so send an email to REMERHQWomensNetwork@mod.gov.uk What does the Network mean to our members and what has a career in the REME meant to one of our members? WO1 (Command Sergeant Major) Maz Hoer (6UKXX-CGP-COMD-SM <Marion.Hoer108@mod.gov.uk) I joined Army Apprentice College at the age of 16. I was in a mixed section. The other
