Sheila Heaney | |
|---|---|
 Heaney as a colonel (1967–70) | |
| Born | 11 June 1917 Liverpool, England |
| Died | 1 February 1991 (aged 73) Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Allegiance | British Army |
| Service | Auxiliary Territorial Service & Women's Royal Army Corps |
| Years of service | 1939–1973 |
| Rank | Director |
| Battles / wars | Second World War 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine |
| Awards | Member of the Order of the British Empire, Companion of the Order of the Bath |
Sheila Anne Elizabeth Heaney, CB, MBE, TD (11 June 1917 – 1 February 1991) was a British Army officer. She joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service shortly before the Second World War and served in the UK, East Africa and Palestine. In 1949 she transferred to the newly formed Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC). Heaney rose through the ranks and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire. She was promoted to the rank of brigadier, appointed director of the WRAC and aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II in 1970. As part of her role as director Heaney visited the United States to study the integration of women into their army and recommended that the process proceed in the UK on a more gradual basis. She instituted changes to make it easier for women in the British Army to choose their branch of service. After her retirement in 1973, she lived in Edinburgh where she volunteered with the Women's Royal Voluntary Service and supported a local hospice.