Welsh woman recognised as navy’s longest serving female
MEET Barbara McGregor, who has been recognised by the Guinness World Records as the longest-serving female in the Royal Navy.
She joined in 1977 and retired on January 31 this year – her impressive career spanning 43 years and 189 days. The 62-year-old’s career surpassed that of the previous recordholder – a woman who had served in the army for 43 years – earning her a coveted spot on the Guinness World Records list this year.
Ms McGregor, who lives near Bridgend, was invited to read the Act of Remembrance at Paddington Station to mark Remembrance Day yesterday where she laid a wreath as part of Great Western Railway’s (GWR) second Poppies to Paddington initiative.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales before her 8.15am train journey, she said she was “deeply, deeply honoured” to hold the world record, and felt “so, so proud” to be taking part in the ceremony.
The Wren has also been awarded the Armorial Bearings of Bridgend County Borough, and wore her uniform for the final time yesterday as she laid a wreath at the cenotaph in Bryn, near Maesteg, where she is from originally.
Ms McGregor, who lives in Aberkenfig, joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service as a radio operator in
1977, serving at HMS Heron, Yeovilton, HMS Dryad, Portsmouth, and HMS Rooke, Gibraltar.
This was later followed by the first of two deployments at HMS Raleigh, Cornwall, where she trained new female ratings.
Her second period at HMS Raleigh was during a time of change for the Royal Navy when female and male recruits were trained together and women first went to sea.
More recently she became the regional development manager for the Naval Regional Command Wales and Western England, which encompasses 15 Armed Forces careers offices. She was also involved with the Nato summit when it was held in Cardiff in 2014.
She retired as the most senior warrant officer of the Royal Naval Careers Service but will continue to attend remembrance services as a trustee of the Association of Wrens.
She said she had faced “lots of challenges” in her early days as a woman in the navy.
“As we know, over the last 40 years, the ladies who join the Royal Navy today can actually join any part of the Royal Navy – very different to when I joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service, where we were very restricted with our roles,” she said.
“Although we could travel extensively, unfortunately we couldn’t do all the roles that we can do today. So we are totally amalgamated into the Royal Navy and we can do any job that we would wish. So everybody is equal, which is terrific.”
While she missed out on the print for the Guinness World Records Book this year, she expressed pride at her “legacy”, saying: “You can do so many things in your life but this is there forever.”