Group Captain Anne-Marie Houghton (née Dawe; born 26 August 1968) is an RAF officer and was the RAF's first female fully qualified navigator in 1991.

Early life

She was born in

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...

in north Devon. She was born on the day before that of

Jo Salter Joanna Mary Salter (born 27 August 1968, in Bournemouth) is a former Royal Air Force pilot, and was Britain's first female fast jet pilot flying the Panavia Tornado ground attack aircraft with 617 Squadron. She later became an inspirational spe ...

, the RAF's first female fast-jet pilot. She was brought up in Hornchurch, near Essex. She has an older brother and two younger brothers. She was head girl at her school.

Career

RAF

She became an officer on 27 August 1987, from that of

Aircraftwoman Aircraftman (AC) or aircraftwoman (ACW) is the lowest rank in the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the air forces of several other Commonwealth countries. In RAF slang, aircraftmen are sometimes called "erks". Aircraftman ranks below leading a ...

with the

WRAF The Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) was the women's branch of the Royal Air Force. It existed in two separate incarnations: the Women's Royal Air Force from 1918 to 1920 and the Women's Royal Air Force from 1949 to 1994. On 1 February 1949, the ...

. She began training with the RAF as a navigator (on multi-engined aircraft) on Monday 18 September 1989 at RAF Finningley, when a Pilot Officer and aged 21, with Pilot Officer Sally Hawkins from Wolverhampton, aged 20, and Flying Officer Wendy Smith from Bournemouth, aged 25. They trained on the twin-engined HS 125, for many years with the RAF for training pilots and navigators on multi-engined aircraft. On 1 March 1991, 22-year-old Flying Officer Anne-Marie Dawe qualified from

No. 6 Flying Training School RAF No. 6 Flying Training School RAF is a Flying Training School (FTS) within No. 22 (Training) Group of the Royal Air Force that delivers flying training to University Air Squadrons and Air Experience Flights. History The school was formed by renam ...

in South Yorkshire. She had been there for eighteen months, being presented with her navigator insignia by Air Chief Marshal

Brendan Jackson Air Chief Marshal Sir Brendan James Jackson, (23 August 1935 – 19 November 1998) was a Royal Air Force officer who became Deputy Commander of RAF Strike Command. RAF career Born on 23 August 1935, Jackson was educated at Chichester High Sch ...

, becoming the first female RAF commissioned air crew.

Julie Ann Gibson Flight Lieutenant Julie Ann Gibson was the first full-time female pilot for the Royal Air Force when she graduated in 1991. Previously a ground-based officer, later selected for flying training. She was subsequently assigned to No. 32 Squadron RAF ...

would be the second RAF commissioned air crew in June 1991. She was posted to No.242 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Lyneham, on the four-engine Hercules. From June 2010 to July 2012 she was the Officer Commanding of 54(R) Squadron at RAF Waddington in North Kesteven, Lincolnshire; at the time, she was the only female commander of an RAF squadron. In 2011 she flew with 907 Expeditionary Air Wing. She works with the Royal Air Force Winter Sports Association, and RAF Swimming. She was promoted from Flight Lieutenant to Squadron Leader on 1 January 2003, to Wing Commander on 1 July 2008, and to Group Captain on 9 October 2017. During the RAF100 Celebrations in 2018, Group Captain Houghton served as the Parade Commander outside Buckingham Palace. Houghton was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

2021 New Year Honours The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

Deployment of women with the RAF

At first, women were to be allowed as pilots and navigators on transport aircraft, such as the Hercules, and helicopters, but not fast-jet aircraft. On 16 December 1991, it was announced that women could fly in fast-jet aircraft too. By August 1996, there were 111 female air crew in the RAF, with 20 working as navigators, 16 instructors, and 16 female pilots. 21 were in training as aircrew. But women were restricted from many frontline roles in the British Army, such as tanks.

Navigators within the RAF

Navigators became weapon systems officers (WSO) as the electronics ( avionics) onboard aircraft largely replaced the purpose of navigators, or did much of their work.

Involvement in the Royal Air Force Air Cadets

She currently serves as the Honorary President of No.1483 (Brentwood) Squadron of Essex Wing RAFAC. Currently Group Captain Houghton is a service instructor at 155 (Maidenhead) Sqn in Thames Valley Wing Air Cadets.

Personal life

She married in September 1995 in

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

; her husband, now deceased, was a former Fleet Air Arm helicopter pilot. She lives in Essex. In December 2012, she was on the cover of '' Good Housekeeping''.

References

External links

RAF Museum

RAF History in the 1990s

Women of the Royal Air Force

RAF Swimming

Her research report on women in combat duties in western militaries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houghton, Anne-Marie 1968 births British aviation pioneers Military personnel from Barnstaple People from Hornchurch Women's Royal Air Force officers Living people Royal Air Force officers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Women's Royal Air Force airwomen