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Audrey-Smith

A veteran interview with

Audrey Smith

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About Audrey Smith

At university, Audrey joined the Officer Training Corps which ultimately led her to join the army when she graduated.

Due to her experience, Audrey never enrolled in basic training but was instead sent to the WRAC school of instruction. She was then posted to Shoeburyness as a Commander, then Singapore, and then to the new Duchess of Kent Barracks as Commanding Officer. Audrey also discusses growing IRA threats, and recalls the horror of experiencing the Aldershot bombing in 1972. Her career continued to flourish and she went to Army Staff College where she was the only woman out of one hundred men. Audrey proceeded to be posted at Shrewsbury as Senior Personnel Officer, then to the doctorate where she wrote employment papers for the WRAC, then the BAOR, and the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Audrey’s work in the WRAC was fundamental to its evolution and she was involved in the crucial integration of weapons training into the female corps. She felt strongly that women should be given opportunities and went on to design the selection tests for officers admittance to Staff College. A true trailblazer, we thank Audrey for her inspiring interview and passionate words about the importance of women’s roles in the WRAC.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Evie Painter
Transcribed by:
Gillian Cousins

Copyright:
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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Smith, Audrey. A Veteran Interview with Audrey Smith. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 27 Nov. 2024 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/audrey-smith/. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
APA Style:
Smith, A. (2024, November 27). A Veteran Interview with Audrey Smith [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved May 23, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/audrey-smith/
Chicago Style:
Smith, Audrey. 2024. A Veteran Interview with Audrey Smith. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, November 27. Accessed May 23, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/audrey-smith/
Harvard Style:
Smith, A. (2024). A Veteran Interview with Audrey Smith. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 27 November. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/audrey-smith/ (Accessed: 23 May 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Smith, A. A Veteran Interview with Audrey Smith [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2024 Nov 27 [cited 2025 May 23]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/audrey-smith/
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