Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

Margaret Elaine West, (née Brindle; born September 1961) is a senior

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

officer. She was the first woman to hold a non-honorary air vice-marshal or equivalent rank in the British Armed Forces since the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, and the first to achieve that rank in the regular forces. In September 2021, West was appointed to the Royal Household as a Lady Usher.

Early life

West was born in September 1961. She was brought up in the Lake District.

Military career

West joined the

Women's Royal Air Force 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 ...

as an

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 ai ...

in 1978 at the age of 17. She ended her service in the other ranks as a senior aircraftwoman. She was commissioned on 25 February 1982 in the rank of pilot officer with seniority from 8 December 1980. She was promoted to flying officer on 8 December 1982. On 21 March 1983, she transferred from the General Duties (Ground) Branch to the Administrative Branch of the RAF. She was promoted to flight lieutenant on 8 December 1986. On 26 October 1990, she transferred from a Short Service Commission to a Permanent Commission. As a part of the half-yearly promotions, she was promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

on 1 January 1991, to

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

on 1 January 1997, and to group captain on 1 July 2003. She was promoted to air commodore on 1 July 2008. She served as Head of the Defence Estates' Operations Housing, thereby being in charge of the renovation of service accommodation. With her promotion to

air vice-marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

on 1 August 2013, she became the highest ranking female in the British Armed Forces and the first regular to hold a

two-star rank An officer of two-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-7. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, two-star officers hold the rank ...

. She has been appointed Director of Projects and Programme Delivery at the

Defence Infrastructure Organisation Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is an operating arm of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in the United Kingdom, which is responsible for the built and rural estate. Its Chief Executive is Graham Dalton. History The DIO was formed in 2011 i ...

. West was replaced by Tony Gosling in 2016. West is now an officer in the RAF Reserve.

Personal life

West married an RAF

Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

navigator. He has since retired. Together they have one son.

Honours and decorations

Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon

UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon

Ribbon - Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal

In the 2013

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

, West was appointed

Commander 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 ...

(CBE). She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and the

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

. In 2018, she was awarded the Royal Air Force Long Service and Good Conduct Medal with two clasps: the medal represents 15 years service and each clasp is awarded for a further ten.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Elaine 1961 births Living people Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force air marshals Women in the Royal Air Force Female air marshals of the Royal Air Force Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People from Cumbria 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel 21st-century Royal Air Force personnel