Dressing up in her grandfather’s Army uniform as a child, there was only one career path that Pammie McNeill wanted to follow.

Her beloved papa, Livingstone Boyd, was a proud member of the Territorial Army and was awarded the MBE for services to his country.

As a girl growing up in Barrhead, Pammie dreamed of following in his footsteps and becoming a soldier.

However, when the time came for her to turn that dream into a reality, not everyone was ready to offer encouragement.

“I was told a woman couldn’t do it,” Pammie said. “This only made me more determined to try.”​

Pammie went on to become, she believes, only the third female metalsmith in the regular British Army and one of just two currently serving.

She is also a tank driver and commander.

Two decades later and now holding the rank of sergeant, she still adores what she does and says she couldn’t have had a better career.

Pammie, 37, told the Barrhead News: “My papa was in the TA and absolutely loved it. I wanted to make him proud.

“I joined the Army Cadets as soon as I could, encouraged by him.

“It was a bit rare back then for a female to join but it was an amazing experience and I still have best friends from my days in the cadets.”

Former Barrhead High School pupil Pammie decided to focus on the metalsmith trade because she had been told “it wasn’t something females could do.”

She immediately set about proving that assertion absolutely wrong and hasn’t looked back since.

Pammie, who serves with 2 Close Support Battalion of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), said: “A lot of things in the forces are made of metal.

“We manufacture and repair items that we can’t get through the system and we repair various vehicles. Every day is different.

“What I absolutely love about my trade is that we can make anything. We are only limited by our imagination, as the Army has taught us the skills.

“In my spare time, I use my skills to make sculptures from scrap metal and bits I buy to raise money for charities.”

Pammie has also turned her hand to creating a sculpture for a memorial garden in her home town, due to be unveiled later this year.

“The Army is massive for helping people and communities and really encourages you to get involved with charities outside of work,” she said.

Pammie had assumed choosing a career in the Army would mean she couldn’t also be a mother.

But as a single mum-of-two, with a six-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son who wants to follow in her footsteps by becoming a soldier, she has proved to herself that you can be a success at both.

“My children are my biggest achievement,” she said. “I know a lot of women think they have to choose one or the other but it is absolutely possible to be a good soldier and a good mum.”

Some of Pammie’s career highlights include skydiving in Canada, snowboarding in Germany and sea kayaking in Cyprus.

Her time in the Army has also included serving in Iraq and the Falkland Islands, far from home in the South Atlantic, as well as various exercises in the UK and overseas.

She has even found time to gain a licence to drive a minibus and forklift truck.
Pammie believes attitudes towards women and their potential career paths have changed over the past 20 years.

“There were some barriers when I joined but there are no dramas nowadays,” she said. “The men come through training alongside women and see them as equal. We do the same job, get the same pay.

“The Army is like a second family. We know each other’s families. When we deploy, we have each other’s backs.”

Pammie has certainly made the most of her potential as her Army career has developed, having received a number of awards.

She was nominated for the Most Inspirational Female title at the Women In Defence Awards in 2017.

And, last year, she won the Defence category at the We Are The City Rising Stars awards, which celebrate female talent across a range of sectors.

She impressed judges not only with her “outstanding” delivery in the workplace but also with the way she has used her military skills to raise money for charity.  

Crafting works of art from scrap metal, she has made poppies, figurines and other artistic metalworks to raise substantial funds for a range of worthy causes.

She has also supported soldiers suffering with mental health problems by helping to set up an open and safe forum for them to discuss their issues.

Pammie has just three years left to serve in the Army before the time will come for her to pursue a new challenge.

She said she has yet to decide what her next career move will be but admits it won’t be as enjoyable as her life as a soldier.

“It’s been incredible,” added Pammie.

“Nothing will match what I’m doing now.”

To find out more about career options in the British Army, visit Army Careers.