3 minute read
REME Women’s Network
Scribe: Lt Col Katy Badham-Thornhill
The 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.
Advertisement
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
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 REMERHQ-
WomensNetwork@mod.gov.uk
WO1 (Command Sergeant Major) Maz Hoer What does the Network mean to our members and what has a career in the REME meant to one of our members?
I joined Army Apprentice College at the age of 16. I was in a mixed section. The other
women and myself bonded well, not only together as a female cohort, but also with our male counterparts. For me, team REME was a thing from the start.
I always enjoyed engineering but serving on the REME Recruiting Team in 2002 highlighted to me that in secondary schools there were very few women who were interested in it as a career; let alone joining the British Army to serve in the REME as an Engineer or Technician.
The comments were generally that no other women were doing engineering, or that they didn’t know anyone who had qualified as an Engineer and so didn’t want to pursue that career. I always found that rather strange; I always felt well supported, both through my trade training and on joining the Field Army. I clearly remember the first day I arrived in Germany at my first Unit to be met by another female member of my LAD who got me settled in and helped me to integrate into the Unit straight away.
Fast forward 22 years and I’m still here which must be a testament in itself! I’ve achieved things I never imagined, worked on multi-disciplined pieces of equipment and projects, gained engineering qualifications and been professionally recognised as an Incorporated Engineer. I’ve also qualified to deliver adventurous training and had the ability to play all kinds of sport. All of this supported by the Corps.
What really makes me proud to be in the REME is the support that we give each other. From my personal perspective, we have some amazing female role models in the Corps, and I strive every day to try and be there to do the same for other members of the Corps.
The REME Servicewomen’s Network (RSN) has enhanced a network that was informally there before; being part of it has allowed me to find mentors, gather information, make friends and develop myself both professionally and personally and be encouraged to be the best I can be.
