'Changes still need to be made,' says Army trailblazer

AN ARMY veteran who has been celebrated as a trailblazer for women in the British Army said "there are still changes to be made" when in the highly "male-dominated" world.

- BY WESLEY HOLMES

Kathy McMullin, 56, from Widnes, joined the Women's Royal Army Corps in 1988. As a driver she was sent across Europe at a time of major geopolitical change from the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany to peacekeeping duties in Czechoslovakia and behind-the-lines operations during the Gulf War.

She said: “After the wall came down, there was a huge coming together of services from all over from Russia, Germany, Italy, Poland, all over Europe. I took the British pentathlon team over to Czechoslovakia and that was a sort of peace offering a coming together through sport.

“Then there was the Iraq War, Operation Desert Storm. I was still in Germany at this point and I was on what was classed as rear party. Part of my role was going round Europe, collecting all the ammunition, including multi-launch rocket systems, and taking them up to the top end of the country.

“It was very hard work. One day we were told we were only going out overnight but we ended up away for three weeks. It could be very unpredictable, especially at that time.

“When there’s a war on and your squadron goes to the actual arena of war and you're left behind, it’s almost like being in a workplace on skeleton staff. You have to take on that workload and take on that responsibility.”