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Pauline-Milne

A veteran interview with

Pauline Milnes

Pauline Milnes was a Private in the WRAC.

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About Pauline Milnes

An adventurous and extroverted young woman, Pauline joined the WRAC at seventeen years old after outperforming boys at her school in an army assault course. She knew in that moment that she would excel in a military career.

Following her six weeks at Guildford she was posted to Blackdown to train as a supply clerk with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. She wanted to be a Physical Training Instructor but was advised to go into stores whilst placed in holding for an opening in physical trades. She remained in her first role as a store supplier before she was posted to Rheindahlen to supply local army bases.

Being from Guyana Pauline describes the anxiety she felt in certain environments regarding racial prejudice but reflects fondly on her time in Rheindahlen due to her being surrounded by many women of different ethnicities. During her three years in Germany, as well as managing stores, she was also told to watch for Russian number plates or report suspicions of IRA or Cold War tensions.

In this interview, Pauline recalls her upset at her forced leave due to her pregnancy and describes the many good soldiers the army lost due to this very reason. Like many other women, she felt she had more to give and these opportunities were taken away. Although Pauline speaks passionately about her time with the WRAC, her journey also highlights the issues with the treatment of women in the army.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Evie Painter
Transcribed by:
Sian Webb

Transcripts:
Please note that transcripts and closed captions in the video player are automatically generated by Vimeo.

If you would like a version of the transcript that has been transcribed manually by Sian Webb, please complete this form or email info@legasee.org.uk.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Milnes, Pauline. A Veteran Interview with Pauline Milnes. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 30 Jan. 2024 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/pauline-milnes/. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
APA Style:
Milnes, P. (2024, January 30). A Veteran Interview with Pauline Milnes [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved June 14, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/pauline-milnes/
Chicago Style:
Milnes, Pauline. 2024. A Veteran Interview with Pauline Milnes. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, January 30. Accessed June 14, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/pauline-milnes/
Harvard Style:
Milnes, P. (2024). A Veteran Interview with Pauline Milnes. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 30 January. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/pauline-milnes/ (Accessed: 14 June 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Milnes, P. A Veteran Interview with Pauline Milnes [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2024 Jan 30 [cited 2025 Jun 14]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/pauline-milnes/
An interview with

Sylvia Adams

Sylvia worked in the Royal Military Police and became one of the first women to ride in the mounted troop.

Sylvia joined the WRAC in 1974 in hopes of working with animals and also learning to drive. After completing her initial training at Guildford, she began her specialised training with the police after performing well in her aptitude test. Unlike some other veterans, Sylvia remembers feeling she had a choice regarding her trade and as a result thoroughly enjoyed her experience with the military police. Belonging to squad 7405, she recalls the complex physical and mental training she had to complete in order to become a ranked military police officer. Although never weapon trained, she was taught how to engage in unarmed combat and endured NBC training procedures. In this interview Sylvia provides an insight into the feelings of WRAC women existing under the shadow of IRA threats. Discussing the Guildford bombing of 1974, she recalls the constant fear that hung over those serving in the army in their shared realisation that everyone was a target. She also describes her desires to push against the restrictions on female horse riding, and was eventually posted to Aldershot as the first female rider to join the military police mounted troop. Sylvia's interview provides an interesting and powerful account of one of the many ambitious women who served under the WRAC, and showcases the importance of documenting these women as army veterans.
Photo Gallery icon 15 Photos
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Mary Woollard

Mary served under the Pay Corps and had a long history in pay duties within, and beyond, the WRAC.

Originating from a military background, Mary knew she wanted to join the army and officially signed in 1978 when she left school. After excelling in her assessments, she chose to join the Royal Army Pay Corps knowing that they had bases all over the world. Following her initial training at Guildford, Mary was posted to Brighton where she worked on translating army promotions into symbols in order for occurrences to be coded into computer systems. She was then moved to Krefeld in Germany and placed in a pay team with two other RAPC individuals. She remembers her time in Germany as the moment in which she, like many others, became aware of the IRA threats and realities of life in the army. Having joined the WRAC towards the end of the 1970s, Mary reflects on the changing nature of women's roles and remembers the introduction of weapon training. She describes the extensive NBC training in Krefeld, in particular 'Active Edge' exercises which were intended to mimic Russian invasion. Mary describes the relationship between technological development and pay duties, and her developing awareness of the discrepancy in pay. With the disbandment of the WRAC she went for commission and became the only female RAPC. Her interview is an inspiring and authentic account of one of the many trailblazing women who broke the system.
Photo Gallery icon 3 Photos
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker