Major Frances... the first woman who can lead our troops into battle
AFTER hundreds of years of being banned from the front line, the British Army has given a woman command of more than 100 male soldiers, whom she will now be expected to lead into battle.
In a l andmark move, Major Frances Bullock, 37, has been made a company commander in the Yorkshire Regiment and if deployed to a war zone could find herself l eading her male colleagues on a bayonet charge.
Maj Bullock is the first woman to take up such a role, which requires her not only to kill without mercy but also to guide male troops through the most gruesome aspects of close-quarter warfare.
Maj Bullock recently became the first woman to pass the Army’s arduous assessment course for infantry commanders.
The delighted officer told members of the Army Servicewomen’s Network on Facebook: ‘Hi all! I’ve just completed the Platoon Commanders’ Battle Course (PCBC) in Brecon [Infantry Battle School] and wanted to take this time to encourage other women to transfer to the infantry.
‘Please contact me if you have any questions. P.S. I’m 38 in September and a Major so if I can do it then there are plenty of other women who can too. Push your limits. This girl can.’
Maj Bullock, from Pinner, NorthWest London, qualified as a physiotherapist before joining the Army and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers as a part-time officer in 2005. She later went full-time and transferred to the Yorkshire Regiment.
On a social- media profile she describes herself as ‘a physically fit individual who loves the outdoors’. She graduated from Liverpool University in 2004 and was posted to the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an instructor in 2015.
Her appointment comes after the decision by then Prime Minister David Cameron in 2016 to lift the centuries-old ban on women serving in ‘close-combat’ units.
The move was bitterly contested by some male commanders, who claimed women were incapable of withstanding the rigours of infantry training. Critics also suggested women in male- only frontline units could undermine teamwork and cost lives.
Maj Bullock proved herself on the PCBC course, which included ‘killing’ enemy troops. She also carried more than 55 lb of kit, weapons and ammunition while marching eight miles over rough terrain. Several men are understood to have dropped out. Last night, a serving male British infantry officer gave Maj Bullock a cautious welcome, saying: ‘Her blokes in the Yorkshire Regiment will expect her to do what they can do and show leadership in additional to soldiering skills.
‘It’s a big ask but I wish her the best of luck.’