A Royal Navy Officer from Plymouth, who started her career as a member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), has taken charge of recruit training at HMS Raleigh.
Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr) Lynda Brown is the new Officer-in-Charge of initial naval training at the Torpoint training base, with overall responsibility for transforming civilian recruits into military personnel in just 10 weeks.
Lt Cdr Brown said: “I am absolutely delighted to be appointed as Officer Commanding Initial Naval Training (OCINT), particularly having joined as a Wren Writer and undertaken initial training myself albeit in 1989.
“Obviously training was very different then and indeed females didn’t train alongside their male counterparts or go to sea.
“I am also thrilled to be at HMS Raleigh as it has a fond place in my heart having returned here on many occasions for various jobs or courses; therefore to be appointed as OCINT is a fantastic and exciting opportunity and I am very much looking forward to the challenge.”
The 45-year-old joined the WRNS in 1989 at the tender age of 18-years.
When the WRNS was disbanded in 1993, Lt Cdr Brown volunteered for Sea Service and served on three warships, deploying on numerous operations to locations all over the world.
As a Leading Writer she served at HMS Raleigh as an instructor to pass on her professional expertise to new members of the branch.
After 15 years as a rating and promotion to Petty Officer, Lt Cdr Brown was selected for Officer training in 2004.
She went on to serve on HMS Cornwall and ashore on the staff of the Commodore Devonport Flotilla and at the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose.
Lt Cdr Brown deployed to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, in 2012 and on promotion to her current rank was appointed to HMS Protector, the Royal Navy’s Antarctic Patrol Ship.
Lt Cdr Brown said: “I have had a wonderful Naval Career over the past 27 years’ with so many amazing opportunities along the way.
“I feel that the experience and challenges I have had over the years as both a Rating and an Officer allows me to see this role from a dual perspective and I am very honoured to undertake this demanding position and to help shape our future sailors.”
This year the Royal Navy is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the formation of the WRNS and the influence the Service had on the opportunities available for women in the Royal Navy today.
Throughout 2017 there will be various events marking the Centenary. Further details are available online at www.royalnavy.mod.uk/wrns100.
