CAPTAIN RACHEL WEBSTER

Tom Petch sits down with former British Army officer CaptainRachel Webster , whose 24-year career spanned Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan - only to end in a dawn arrest she describes as “the most horrendous experience” of her life.

From becoming one of the first female welders at British Steel to serving in some of the most complex theatres of modern conflict, Rachel’s career was defined by resilience, leadership, and breaking barriers.

But years after service, she found herself pushed onto her own bed, hands restrained, marched from her house without a warrant - accused as part of a widening legal process she says reflects a growing culture of retrospective lawfare .

In this raw and revealing conversation, Rachel speaks openlyabout:

• Being one of the first women to push into male-dominated military spaces

• Serving in South Armagh during the Troubles

• Deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan

• What “lawfare” looks like at the individual level

• The psychological toll of being investigated years after operations

• Why soldiers feel abandoned by the institutions they served

This episode goes beyond headlines. It asks difficult questions about justice, accountability, political responsibility - and the human cost when trust between soldier and state breaks down.

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