487 Sqn, Kingstanding and Perry Barr, marked another milestone in its long history recently when it promoted its first female to Cdt WO.

Cdt WO Gemma Walden, 19, has been with 487 Sqn for 6 years and she has enjoyed every moment of it. As you might imagine, Gemma has been involved in all aspects of training given by the ATC, including attending numerous annual camps, an overseas camp in Cyprus, DofE and for the last three years, she has laid the wreath on behalf of the Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing at the annual remembrance parade held in Birmingham.

Gemma commented “I feel very proud to have become the first female Cdt WO at 487 Sqn. I hope this will show all our other cadets, both male and female, that with hard work, anyone can make it through the ranks”

Flt Lt O'Neill, OC 487 Sqn, acknowledged all the hard work that Gemma puts in at the Sqn, particularly behind the scenes. He commented further “Gemma has helped the Sqn tremendously over the past few years, and the whole Sqn would like to congratulate her on reaching this milestone. Her enthusiasm is fantastic and we all look forward to working with her in the coming years”.