Anna Crossley served in Afghanistan in 2012 as a Female Engagement Officer.
Her role was to engage with the local population in one of the most hostile districts of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Her objective was to be invited into the homes of local Afghans and meet and talk to the women of the household, widely thought to be responsible for their children's education and the health of the family.
"I was hot, dirty and dressed like a man..."
Captain Crossley spent six months in Afghanistan in Forward Operating Base Oullette. This was her second time in the country.
Deployed within the Upper Gereshk Valley Anna had the task of engaging with the local population in one of the most hostile districts of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Anna's aim was to interact with both male members of the local communities and the female population that is off limits to male soldiers.
"The lives of Afghan women in Helmand is hard."
Although trained as a Nursing Officer and a member of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC), Anna chose this highly demanding role as an FEO and received language training before being deployed.
Anna would put on her body armour to prepare to head out on patrol in the Upper Gereshk valley of Helmand Province. Whilst in Afghanistan, this was the only way to access the homes of Afghan families known as compounds.
"Being a female attached to the infantry is not necessarily a barrier."
Female soldiers in pictures
An exhibition of photos by Alison Baskerville entitled The White Picture - The Hidden World of Women in Combat, was presented by The Royal British Legion at the Gallery@Oxo in late 2012.
The project was created to look at the role of female soldiers on the front line in Afghanistan and their attempts to engage with Afghan women.
Below are some more photos from the exhibition, capturing Anna's time spent in Afghanistan and her role as an FEO.
All photos copyright to The Royal British Legion / Alison Baskerville.
