Noone forgets their first day at Sandhurst! “Ironing board Sunday”; eager and nervous people, laden with luggage and an ironing board precariously placed under an arm, arrive at the spectacular setting of the Royal Military Academy. I was terrified as I had no military connections in my family. I was the first person in my family to go to university, let alone Sandhurst. 

All the advice I was given encouraged me to blend in. On that Sunday I dressed accordingly. Sporting a pair of dark green corduroy trousers and a blazer. I waited in a cavernous room with dozens of anxious strangers. An instructor asked me a question, I replied and included “sir” in my sentence; big mistake!  He told me he worked for a living and was a Colour Sergeant. He asked me if I was a gardener on account of my trousers. I looked around confused; corduroy everywhere – everyone was wearing “uniform” even before we had been issued with uniform. Was I in the wrong place? Was this a gardeners’ convention? It turned out I was in the right place, but wearing the wrong sort of corduroy! My attempts to blend in failed and, from the get go, I felt othered.

We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive reaction to the new UK Defence Ranks poster. But some of the discourse surrounding its release highlighted the continued importance of rank within the military. The reactions also reminded me of the strong human desire to belong. 

The desire to belong, seen in my choice of trousers, is a sentiment that is explored by CS Lewis in his 1944 “Inner Ring” speech. Lewis explores the pitfalls of chasing exclusive circles, a lesson I wish I had learned before starting at Sandhurst. 

Despite my academic grounding of studying feminism at University, I found myself drawn towards the allure of the inner ring. I spent too little time thinking of the experiences of those in the outer rings. This is a mistake. It’s a mistake because chasing exclusivity messes with our values and leaves out talented people. Everyone in the military wants to be part of something bigger, right? But good leaders are the ones who encourage everyone shine, not just a select few. 

I saw this first hand whilst commanding an Infantry battalion on operations in 2007. I was short of platoon commanders and was given an Intelligence Corps Officer who commanded the Sniper Platoon. Unusual for a non-infantry officer to command the snipers? Definitely – and a first as far as I know. However, this person defied convention and emerged as an exceptional leader. I mentioned this six years later whilst briefing officer cadets at Sandhurst. A cadet raises their hand and says, “I was in that Sniper Platoon, and she was the best platoon commander I ever had”. In 2016, the Army lifted the ban on women serving in the Infantry. There is no doubt that she was an extraordinary trailblazing leader who was ahead of her time. Finally, it reminded me of the unseen barriers that many don’t endure or experience. 

On operations the military does cohesion and fighting spirit brilliantly. But real success is bringing out the best in everyone, not just a few, and not just on ops. Defending our nation is crucial, but so is making sure everyone in the military feels safe and valued. Loyalty and trust only happen when everyone feels they belong, no matter their rank. 

#16daysofactivism is a global campaign to end violence against women and girls and runs annually from 25 November until 10 December. On 1 December 2023, the House of Commons Defence Committee, published anonymised personal evidence of women serving in the Armed Forces. If you read just one of them; read this one. It eloquently articulates the absence of safety where those from the “inner ring” abuse their power, position and privilege on someone in their own team. It also exposes the extreme outcomes resulting from pursuing rings of exclusivity. 

Being othered for my trousers hardly merits mentioning when the experiences of those from underrepresented groups are sometimes so radically awful. Like those who submitted their evidence to HCDC or in the Defence Inclusivity: the Lived Experience Report. 

So, here’s the deal: we want to work with you to build strong, high performing teams where everyone’s voice matters, regardless of rank. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help, please reach out to me: [email protected] 

Blog written by Lindsay MacDuff (He/Him), Head of Inclusion at BFBS Creative