Ex-England footballer becomes first ever female officer to be selected for the Paras after beating scores of male rivals
AN EX-England footballer has become the first-ever female officer to be selected to lead the Parachute Regiment.
Hannah Knapton will join one of the Para's battalions later this year after beating scores of male rivals at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Hannah is expected to wear her new Parachute Regiment beret after she completes her final exercise.
The historic decision was made earlier in the year after she was interviewed by a board of Para officers.
Now she will have to pass the brutal ‘P Company’ entry course which includes eight arduous challenges across five days.
Among them Hannah will have to march 10 miles carrying 35lb backpacks in one hour and 50 minutes, complete an assault couse, an 1.8mile steeple chase, and carry a 140lb log as part of a team of eight for over two miles.
After completing P Company, she will then take a three-week parachute course at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, after which she will receive her Para ‘wings’.
Hannah, from Hampshire, was a talented athlete before being selected for the elite Paras.
She previously played football for England Under-17 girls and continued her career in Sweden before coming back to the UK.
"This is a remarkable achievement," a Sandhurst source told
"For any officer, commanding paratroopers is a daunting prospect.
'BEST OF THE BEST'
"The pressure is huge because the regiment's standards are so high – and if an officer is not cutting it the blokes won't respect them."
The source went on to say how the role will take a lot of courage and composure but that Sandhurst chooses the "best of the best".
"To be the first woman to find herself in this role, that's going to take a lot of courage and composure on her part," the source said.
"Only eight cadets from scores who applied were invited to interview and Hannah is one of five to go forward from there."
The Parachute Regiment was formed in World War II under a decree from Winston Churchill and has been in action since.
Nicknamed the "Red Devils" by the Germans in North Africa, the soldiers have done stints in Normandy, Afghanistan and the Falklands.
To date, only one woman has passed 'P Company' which is the toughest military selection outside the Special Forces.
Captain Rosie Wild, then 28, of the Royal Artillery was presented with her beret last year.
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In 2018, the Defence Secretary announced that women could apply to any role in the military.
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The then secretary Gavin Williamson revealed that women already serving in the Army are able to transfer into infantry roles - including the Special Forces.
The Royal Armoured Corps was the first ground close combat branch to open its doors in November 2016 to female soldiers and officers, followed by the RAF Regiment in September 2017.
