Sharon Nesmith

The army can now boast of a woman in every rank, and credit must go to its highest-flying dame, writes Fred Harter

- Fred Harter

In 1988, when Sharon Nesmith joined the British Army as a cadet, most roles were not open to women.

For her passing out parade at Sandhurst, she stood at the back holding a stick while her male colleagues clasped rifles. Later in her career, at regimental dinners, women were expected to leave early so that men could carry on the conversation alone.

Earlier this month, the army announced that it had a woman in each of its 18 ranks from recruit to four-star general - for the first time, a sign of how much things have changed. The most senior is Nesmith, who has been vice-chief of the defence staff since 2024.

Her career has been one of firsts. Nesmith is the first woman to command a brigade, the first to lead a division-level formation, the first to be appointed general and the first to sit on the army’s executive board. But for many years, she downplayed these achievements, determined to be judged on her merits as an officer, not the brass ceilings she had broken as a woman.

"I have spent a career trying to avoid that female tag," she told the Telegraph in 2015, shortly after her brigade command was announced. "I never wanted it to be about being a female in a male environment." She found the media interest around her promotion slightly awkward.

More recently, however, Nesmith has grown more comfortable being seen as a trailblazer. When asked last year to name the greatest day of her career, she replied: "For a long time, I hesitated to celebrate what I was doing [as] a role model... because it was never about my gender - I was just doing what I wanted to do, what I saw as important. So I don't know about the best day, because it wouldn't be a single day. But I think that would be the mark of a shift where we can proudly celebrate that we are a very diverse workforce."