Brenda Traylen MBE TD was born in 1948. Although her father had been in the army, it wasn’t until she was a mature student at teacher training college that she decided to join the Reserve Army, looking to enjoy the social opportunities, and came across the Royal Signals in Southampton.
They sent her on a recruit training course, at which she was awarded the prize of best recruit, followed by an officer training course. She was made second in command of 265 Squadron in Bexleyheath, and so became a Sharpshooter.
In the meantime, after teacher training, she decided to become a data technician at Wessex Water, where she worked for eleven years, then joined the police, becoming Community Beat Officer for Christchurch town centre in Dorset. Once a week she would do the long commute up to drill nights in Bexleyheath.