Major Philippa "Pip" Joan Angel Tattersall is a Scottish soldier, born 1975 in

Tarland Tarland (Gaelic: ''Turlann'') is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and is located northwest of Aboyne, and west of Aberdeen. Population 720 (2016). Tarland is home to the Culsh Earth House, an Iron Age below-ground dwelling that otherwise ...

, Aberdeenshire. She is the first woman to succeed in the 9-week

All Arms Commando Course The All Arms Commando Course (AACC) lasts for 13 weeks and is run by the Royal Marines at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM), Lympstone. Members from any of the United Kingdom's Regular Armed Forces (e.g. personnel from units atta ...

, joining the main manoeuvre formation,

3 Commando Brigade 3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen from ...

. Tattersall successfully completed the course in May 2002 after two previous failed attempts, though the British Government's ban on women serving in units whose "primary duty is to close with and kill the enemy" means she is limited to providing

combat support In the United States Army, the term combat support refers to units that provide fire support and operational assistance to combat elements. Combat support units provide specialized support functions to combat units in the following areas * Chemi ...

or combat service support to the Brigade. She serves in the

Educational and Training Services Branch The Educational and Training Services form part of the Adjutant General's Corps and have done since 1992 when this Corps of the British Army was formed. Their remit is to continue the general education of soldiers and officers alike, as well as t ...

of the

Adjutant General's Corps The Adjutant General's Corps is a corps in the British Army responsible for many of its general administrative services, named for the Adjutant-General to the Forces (now the Commander Home Command). As of 2002, the AGC had a staff of 7,000 peo ...

. Tattersall swam the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

in 2006 and won a silver medal in the 2009 British Snowboarding championships.

References

Women in 21st-century warfare Women in the British Army 1975 births Living people Scottish military personnel People from Marr Royal Army Educational Corps officers People educated at Roedean School, East Sussex English Channel swimmers Scottish female snowboarders British Army Commandos officers Military personnel from Aberdeenshire 21st-century British Army personnel {{UK-army-bio-stub