Warrant Officer Ranks in British Army

http://www.royalirish.easynet.co.uk/RegToday/Home%20Service.htm

It also says:

Northern Ireland Based Battalions

Quote :

Equal Opportunities - Women

Uniquely in the Infantry, The Royal Irish Regiment offers full careers for women, both as officers and soldiers. Already women make up 10% of our total strength. That's well above the average for the rest of the Army.

and yes it probably is a throwback to Greenfinch days.


In all other Infantry Regiments of the British Army, Women are badged to the Agitant General Corps, and attached to them after training in admin roles.

I was posted to CFS Alert (800KM from the North Pole) on Ellesmere Island May to Nov 1980. At the time of my posting women had never been posted to this Station since it's inception some time in the 50's. The word came down in June or so that women were now to be posted to CFS Alert in all trades (no armed trades there) in August/September. So in June a small party of Officers: 1 Lt/Co. Female nurse, 1 Lt/Cdmr. Male,Psychologist, 1 Capt. Female nurse. They were on a census trip of just how women would be accepted into Alert. Small groups of personnel were slated to discuss this. Our group which consisted of our W.O./Station Foods Officer, some fellow cooks (I was the baker), some Com. Research Ops. and other trades trooped into a room off the gym for this enlightening process. One of the questions asked by a Com. Research Op. was: " What about having female cooks in the kitchen as it was a 24 hr kitchen and the Inuits General Duty workers had some different ideas about women as compared to way down south. The Lt/Cdr. suggested that female cooks might not do night shifts. OH OH!! This got the attention of our W.O. ( a short tough French Cdn.) He immediately informed the L/Cdr and his party, " If this is to happen I will meet the plane on the air strip and inform the females, that they will return to CFB Trenton as I cannot employ them." The L/Cmd. immediately sucked back and reloaded. No more discussion about that. Then there were questions about how did our wives, girlfriends feel about this. It was becoming endlessly silly. Finally I opened my big mouth, I'm good at that. I made this statement:
1: There were women in the Cdn. Forces at the Riel Rebellion? Yes
2: Women in Cdn Forces in the Bore War? Yes
3: Women in WW 1? Yes
4: Women in WW 2: Yes
5: Women in Korea: Yes
6: I was in Egypt in 74/75 when women were first posted to a UN posting.
By this time the Lt/Col asked me," Just what is your point Cpl? My reply was:
1: Has Ottawa just discovered that there are women in the Cdn Forces
2: Or was this an excuse to spend off their budget and justify a trip to Alert.

See CFS Alert was a restricted place for visitors coming up to see the sights on some phony excuse. All visitors had to have the Station Commanders permission. Funny thing is, that when I said reason No 2 all three of the party looked at each other kind of startled. BINGO, I think I saw their reason for being there. I have been in an Army with with few women and an army with many women. No big deal. They do their job and I'll do my job.

To huff and puff about the differences in sexes doing the job is the argument of people who are either politicians or insecure in their place in life.

My next posting here will be about some female and male soldiers who got lost in a sand storm on the Sinai Desert in 1975 and how the military handled it.

Have just spoken to a representative from the former RHQ Royal Irish Rangers responding to an earlier email.

A cheerful Ulster voice said " Quote "Tell him from me he is talking a load of c...p" unquote".

The presence of women in a combat role in the Royal Irish Regiment (ie Green Finches) ended a decade ago with the disbandment of the Home Service Battalions of the Ulster Defence Regiment/Royal Irish Regiment.

The Royal Irish Regiment now consists of two Battalions
a. The 1st Battalion based in Ternhill Shropshire and under command 16 Air Assault Brigade.
b. The 2nd, a conventional dismounted TA Infantry Battalion recruited from across Northern Ireland

In neither Battalion are women permitted to serve in the Rifle Companies. They do have women from the supporting Corps serving in the Regiment as Administrators or part of the Unit Pay Team (AGC), or Cooks (RLC). It is possible that female RAMC medical personnel and REME tradesmen could also be posted in.

The only women who might now wear the Royal Irish Regiment cap badge are female members of the Corps of Army Musicians who might be posted in on a tour of duty with the Regimental Bugles, Pipes and Band.

Mike
The link you found is dated and is archive material.

Quote :

In neither Battalion are women permitted to serve in the Rifle Companies. They do have women from the supporting Corps serving in the Regiment as Administrators or part of the Unit Pay Team (AGC), or Cooks (RLC). It is possible that female RAMC medical personnel and REME tradesmen could also be posted in.

The only women who might now wear the Royal Irish Regiment cap badge are female members of the Corps of Army Musicians who might be posted in on a tour of duty with the Regimental Bugles, Pipes and Band.

More or less what I have been saying in my other posts

Then the Regiment needs to update its own site!

Mike_2817 wrote:

Quote :

In neither Battalion are women permitted to serve in the Rifle Companies. They do have women from the supporting Corps serving in the Regiment as Administrators or part of the Unit Pay Team (AGC), or Cooks (RLC). It is possible that female RAMC medical personnel and REME tradesmen could also be posted in.

The only women who might now wear the Royal Irish Regiment cap badge are female members of the Corps of Army Musicians who might be posted in on a tour of duty with the Regimental Bugles, Pipes and Band.

More or less what I have been saying in my other posts

Then the Regiment needs to update its own site!

Bear in mind chaps I never said they were in combat roles. All along I've insisted that the Greenfinches in 1RIR were admin. I know that was different in the Home Service Battalions as they were essentially the UDR in a different name.

It throws open a different question then. Do women posted to 1 RIR get referred to as Greenfinches? Because that's what one of them told me when the Bn was based at Fort George. Did your mate say anything about that JPW?

As for someone within the regimental hierarchy saying I'm talking a load of cr*p, well that really depends how you put the matter to them JPW, doesn't it? All along I've been speculative and questioning in my comments, seeking answers to relevant questions. Of course it doesn't help when, as Mike says, the regiment needs to update its own website.

Of course if you're saying an old soldier can't come onto this site and discuss something like this politely then that's a different kettle of fish? Maybe you don't want any new blood?

Hussar100 wrote:

I think you're maybe not allowing for changes which may have taken place. I agree that 1 RIR may be unique because their Greenfinches were totally integrated into the UDR and RIR Home Service battalions and that may well have been kept on with the colours. Certainly the girls I spoke to at Fort George and Ternhill were an integral part of the battalion, were Irish and had specifically joined 1RIR as Rangers. They were not employed in combat positions however and were all admin.

What I have noted is that women appear to be attached to many teeth arm units now in admin roles (usually commissioned from what I have seen) but I have also seen women medics who accompany combat patrols in the Stan. They are armed themselves (another oddity for me as medics didn't use to be armed) and several have been decorated for bravery under fire, most notably a Wren who got the MC (If I'm not wrong).

I didn't see any women in uniform the last time I visited my own regiment (about 3 years ago) which would suggest to me that maybe this doesn't happen with armoured cavalry but that it does with infantry and certainly with 1 RIR.

I've put that together as logically as I can. Time moves on old chap and changes happen which we don't necessarily agree with. I can see the time coming when women are included in infantry platoons and cavalry troops.

We have a young lady currently serving at BATUS [ a medic] who was awarded the MC for her actions while under fire, try telling her that women do not serve on the 'front' line! ian.

Women serve in all manner of roles in Afganistan including High Risk IEDD (Bomb Disposal) and they all deserve recognition.

We had a young lady with us when we were deployed to the bunfight in the Gulf (Dec 90-Apr 91) The lads did there best to support her she was a good girl and back in Germany she was one of the lads. However she was sent back to Al Jubail just before the ground war started. I'm not anti female but she was put in an impossible situation by people who had no idea where they were sending her. After getting our vehicles of the docks at Al Jubail we spent a couple of days at the FMA then moved out into the desert, this is when it started going wrong for her. She was a lone female in a regiment of men, there were no facilities for her. We dug latrines (Desert roses) and shat in bin liners, there was no privacy. How on earth was she supposed to cope with that? She came on her period and that was when it came to a head, she broke down and cried her head off. No one took the piss, we all felt for her, she was put in an intolerable situation.

Wilf wrote:

We had a young lady with us when we were deployed to the bunfight in the Gulf (Dec 90-Apr 91) The lads did there best to support her she was a good girl and back in Germany she was one of the lads. However she was sent back to Al Jubail just before the ground war started. I'm not anti female but she was put in an impossible situation by people who had no idea where they were sending her. After getting our vehicles of the docks at Al Jubail we spent a couple of days at the FMA then moved out into the desert, this is when it started going wrong for her. She was a lone female in a regiment of men, there were no facilities for her. We dug latrines (Desert roses) and shat in bin liners, there was no privacy. How on earth was she supposed to cope with that? She came on her period and that was when it came to a head, she broke down and cried her head off. No one took the piss, we all felt for her, she was put in an intolerable situation.

I think this is one (of several) perfect example of why MOD won't fully integrate women into combat units.

Ruckjock21,

Know about the Platoon Sgt major rank as my late Dad was a WOIII during the beginning of the war whilst serving with the Worcestershire Regt. He eventual was commissioned and retired after the War as a Capt.
Jimsigs1