A soldier who was a troublesome teenager has credited the Army with turning his life around and is looking forward to helping other people do the same.
Lance Corporal Josh Deamer is a Technical Support Specialist in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), managing the supply of spare parts to enable mechanics and technicians to do their job maintaining vehicles and equipment.
He was born in Canterbury and went to Canterbury High School before moving with his family to Falkirk at the age of 13 and studying at Falkirk High School. He joined the Army in 2016, completing his basic training at Army Foundation College Harrogate.
The Army has changed my life." LCpl Josh Deamer
7 Aviation Support Battalion REME
“I had got into a bit of trouble as a kid and recognised that I needed to do something to get my life back on the right track,” the 24-year-old said. “I thought the Army would give me skills and a purpose and make me someone that my family could be proud of."
“The Army has changed my life. It’s given me confidence, self-discipline and self-respect. I look at a lot of the people I grew up with and they’re unemployed or in dead-end jobs and not happy with their lives.”
Josh has been selected for promotion to Corporal and is starting work at Army Training Centre Pirbright in January as a section commander, delivering basic training to new recruits.
“I’ve always wanted to work with recruits,” Josh said. “When you go through training you look up to your section commander as a kind of god, because of their knowledge and experience of life in the Army. I want to share what I’ve learnt and help people who are coming from the same place that I was in when I joined up.”
I want to share what I’ve learnt and help people who are coming from the same place that I was in when I joined up.” LCpl Josh Deamer
7 Aviation Support Battalion REME
Josh is currently based at Wattisham Flying Station in Suffolk with 7 Aviation Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. He has been on exercise in Canada and Oman and spent three weeks skiing in Austria, as well as boxing at light welterweight for his battalion.
“You get a lot of time and support to do sport in the Army, which you just don’t get in other jobs,” he said.
The British Army is recruiting right now to fill 10,000 jobs across the UK with more than 200 roles to choose from, covering everything from frontline combat and cyber security to helicopter pilots, chefs and support roles. If you’re aged 16 to 50 and if you want to find out more about a career in the Army, click here.
