A timeline of women in the Army

Unofficial roles

For centuries, women have shaped and been shaped by the British Army. Until the 1850s, many lived and worked alongside the soldiers of a regiment, sometimes accompanying them abroad, performing a wide range of unofficial roles. Some were wives and family members; others worked as cooks, nurses, midwives, seamstresses and laundresses. Some were sex workers.

At the time, war was considered men’s work, but women played a significant role in supporting the physical and emotional wellbeing of soldiers. While rare, there were several cases of women disguising themselves as men in order to fight.

Nursing

With the ongoing professionalisation of the Army in the second half of the 19th century, women found themselves increasingly excluded from service. However, one area where women's involvement flourished was through nursing.

Women like Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole revolutionised nursing during the Crimean War (1854-56) and established its necessity. Professional, trained nurses returned to the battlefield in later conflicts and organisations were created to formalise their work.

War work for women

During the early 1900s, several quasi-military volunteer groups for women's work were established including the Women's Emergency Corps, the Women's Forage Corps, the Women's Defence Relief Corps and the Women's Land Army.

The outbreak of the First World War (1914-18) provoked a debate on women's roles in the conflict. The economic strain of the war meant that women were already working on the Home Front in factories. And volunteer groups like the Women's Legion cooked for the troops. Owing to manpower problems, the Army started looking for more formal ways to bring women into the fold.

Interwar years

The interwar years saw a tension between women's newfound emancipation and calls for their return to the domestic sphere. As veterans continued to identify with their wartime service, there were also developments in preparing women for future war.

Second World War

Although QMAAC had been disbanded in 1921, it inspired the formation of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), which was established in September 1938. Women were still not allowed to fight in battle, but once again returned to supporting roles during the Second World War (1939-45). 

They served as cooks, clerks, drivers, radar operators, telephonists, anti-aircraft gunners, range finders, sound detectors, military police and ammunition inspectors. The Women's Royal Naval Service and the Women's Auxiliary Air Force were also established at that time. 

Women again went to work on the Home Front too, either in industrial roles, as before, or as part of the Women's Land Army.

Women's Royal Army Corps

The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC) was formed in 1949, absorbing the remaining troops of the ATS. It eventually included all women serving in the Army except medical and veterinary orderlies, chaplains and nurses.

Between 1949 and 1992, WRAC members served in over 40 trades in operations across the world, including Malaya (1948-60), Kenya (1952-60), Cyprus (1955-59), Aden (1963-67), Northern Ireland (1969-2007) and the Gulf War (1990-91).

Women in combat roles

Following the disbandment of the WRAC in 1992, women were absorbed into the rest of the Army. But they were still largely restricted to support and medical positions.

Combat roles remained closed to the vast majority of female soldiers until 2016, despite the fact that women had already been present at the front for some time. Six women were killed in action in Iraq (2003-11), and another three in Afghanistan (2001-14).

Much of the debate about female combat centred on the impact of gender integration on battle effectiveness. Many questioned whether female physical and psychological characteristics were suitable for combat, rather than looking at their overall contributions to teams and units.