Staff Sergeant Michelle Vansittart is based in Bulford, Wiltshire, with 19 Tank Transporter Squadron part of 27 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps.
19 Squadron is one of the only UK based squadrons providing the tank transporter function by combining Army sponsored Reserve and Regular personnel with state-of-the-art heavy lift equipment.
SSgt Vansittart, 34, recalls that a career in the Army came up in a conversation with some friends at college:
It’s a very small squadron, so we as women do stand out a lot more, but the people running the unit really look after you and mentor you throughout your continuous training and trade courses irrelevant of gender. SSgt Vansittart
19 Tank Transporter Squadron
27 Regiment RLC
“We were thinking about the future and what we could do. One of them said she wanted to join the Army, and I thought that was a really good idea. So, we both decided to visit the Amy Careers Centre.”
And she adds:
“We got our selection dates but the night before we were meant to go to the selection centre for 3 days, my friend who was the one with the bright idea pulled out. At that point, my bags were packed, and I thought I might as well give it a go. That was back in 2006 when I was 17. I haven't looked back since!”
After her Phase 1 & 2 training, Shell as she’s known, was selected to become a Driver Tank Transporter Operator:
“It’s a very small squadron, so we as women do stand out a lot more, but the people running the unit really look after you and mentor you throughout your continuous training and trade courses irrelevant of gender."
Michelle continues:
“The kit and equipment such as the chains to tension down the tanks you are transporting weigh a lot. But once you have the technique, it becomes second nature.
Looking back on the Operations HERRICK in Afghanistan and TELIC in Iraq, I was the only female DTTO deployed on Op tours, I didn't feel like I was any different to the men at all. I personally felt fully part of a small yet close knit family.”
In February, SSgt Vansittart, who is from North Wales, was selected for promotion to WO2 and has been boarded to take up a Sergeant Major role, and she also has an eye on the future beyond Army life too:
The kit and equipment such as the chains to tension down the tanks you are transporting weigh a lot. But once you have the technique, it becomes second nature. SSgt Vansittart
19 Tank Transporter Squadron
27 Regiment RLC
“I have taken a lot of qualifications, such as my driver’s licences, and the DTTO trade which would make me a more desirable person to employ if I chose to work with HGVs. I have also gained a lot of apprenticeships, which make me employable.
"I have worked in various departments understand the bigger picture and structure of how the Amy works - this in turn has given me the experience and understanding to manage and lead people who I work alongside and for me in my role now and in the future.”
Find out more about being a driver in the British Army on the Army Jobs website.