-: When I got to Shawbury, it was their RF regiment
warrant officer, whose trade is predominately male,
a decision's only been made recently for females
to enter that trade.
So, he hadn't ever worked for a female before.
So the first three weeks, he didn't really talk to me.
We had an interlocking door, and he'd appear,
tell me something, and then disappear again.
And I was like, I couldn't understand
what I had done or why he wouldn't talk to me.
So I ended up having a chat with our station typist
in terms of, is it me?
And he said, "No, I don't think it is.
"He's just quite set in his ways."
So I gradually won him over,
and it was also a bit of deal in terms of
if you've gone out for a run, I don't mind,
'cause whilst I'm your boss, really,
you've got twice as much experience as me
in terms of years I've been alive,
let alone time in the Royal Air Force.
So I can keep you after when the wing commander
comes to find you, but if you're doing anything fun,
can I come too?
And after that, we became pretty much best of friends.
So we got on really, really well
and did most things together,
and it was only when I left did he turn around
and say to me, "Before you got here,
"I thought you were going to be a stereotypical female."
I said, "What do you mean by stereotypical female?"
He was, "Well, you know, a chip on your shoulder
"and thought you knew it all," he said.
"But I'm really please to say that you're not."
I said, "Has it changed your view?"
He said, "Yes, yes it has."