First Sri Lankan Women Graduate From Army School Of Ceremonial

The first women from Sri Lanka will graduate from the Army School of Ceremonial in Catterick this week.

Every year, military personnel from across the Commonwealth, the Middle East and Asia travel all the way to Catterick, in North Yorkshire, to learn military drill at the Army School of Ceremonial.

Flight Lieutenant Attale and Corporal Amarasena are the first Sri Lankan women to attend the school and they will graduate this week.

"It's a rare chance, so we are really happy," said Flt Lt Attale.

"[Lieutenant Attale and Corporal Amarasena] have done very well," said Colour Sergeant Paul Money, one of the instructors.

"They've achieved a lot to say they're the first two female Sri Lankan to come over and actually do the course."

Learning how to perform a correct drill is key to British armed forces, but more and more international military representatives visit the training centre each year. 

During their time in Catterick, foreign students learn how to perform the drill and how to teach it, as once they return in their home countries they are expected to give lessons to their own national military divisions. 

Instructors from the Army School of Ceremonial have also travelled to Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and Hong Kong to spread the British drill across the world.

"It’s because we do it properly," said Colour Sergeant Money when explaining why so many international military representatives visit the Catterick school each year.

The British Army School of Ceremonial is based at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick, which trains all the British Army’s infantry soldiers.