Judith Webb

Judith Webb is a former Major in the British Army and a proponent of equal physical standards for male and female service members. She appeared on the BBC 100 Women list for 2013 and 2014. She was the first woman to command an otherwise all-male squadron of the British Army.

Judith Webb
NationalityBritish
OccupationBritish Army Major
Years active? - 1986

Army career

Webb served in the 28th Signal Regiment of the British Army, and served in Germany and Cyprus. She was the first women to command an all-male squadron. She retired from the Army in 1986.[1][2][3] In 2013 and 2014, Webb argued against women being allowed into British Army combat infantry units, as she argued that women needed to meet the same physical fitness levels as men, despite being "different physiologically". She was critical of changes in recruitment standards that reduced the difficulty for both men and women, saying it was an attempt to "meet gender equality requirements". She also highlighted as evidence two women who failed to qualify in the United States Marine Corps.[1][2][3]

Personal life

Webb and her family ran Rossholme Girls' School, a private girls' school in East Brent, Somerset, for almost 60 years. Webb ran the school from 1986 until 2005, when she closed it down because it was too small to be viable and could not be expanded. The premises were converted for use as holiday accommodation.[4][5] Webb was included on the BBC 100 Women list for 2013,[6] and 2014,[7] and through that met Kenyan Joyce Aruga, who hoped to set up a school in a Nairobi slum. Webb offered her a supply of school uniforms left over from Rossholme School, and went on to fund-raise to support the school, which is named the Rossholme Education Centre.[5][8]

References
  1. Morrison, Alex (9 May 2014). "Female soldiers give views on close combat question". BBC News. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  2. "Retired army officer calls for UK to allow women in combat". BBC News. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  3. Rojas, John-Paul Ford (24 January 2013). "Army 'has dropped fitness standards to allow more women to join'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  4. "Rossholme". East Brent History Portal. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  5. Norton, Jenny (20 December 2016). "100 Women: The English girls' school reborn in a Nairobi slum". BBC News. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  6. "100 Women: Who took part?". BBC. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  7. "Who are the 100 Women 2014?". BBC. 26 October 2014.
  8. "Rossholme lives again". Rossholme Country Holidays. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
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