# Susan Ridge > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Susan_Ridge > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Susan_Ridge.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Ridge > Source revision: 1353508447 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) [Major General](/source/Major-general_(United_Kingdom)) **Susan Kerstin Ridge**, (born 1962 or 1963) is a retired senior [British Army](/source/British_Army) officer and [lawyer](/source/Lawyer). From September 2015 to July 2019, she was Director General of the [Army Legal Services Branch](/source/Army_Legal_Services_Branch) (DGALS). She was the first woman to hold the rank of major general in the British Army and the first to hold non-honorary general officer rank since the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War). ## Early life and education Ridge was raised in the west of England and educated in [Chester](/source/Chester), Cheshire. She studied history at [Bangor University](/source/Bangor_University), graduating in 1984.[1] She then completed a [law conversion course](/source/Law_conversion_course) at the [College of Law](/source/University_of_Law), Chester Campus.[2] In 1989, Ridge qualified as a [solicitor](/source/Solicitor) after working as an [articled clerk](/source/Articled_clerk), and was admitted to the [Law Society of England and Wales](/source/Law_Society_of_England_and_Wales).[3] She worked as a lawyer at Swayne Johnson Wright in north Wales from 1986 to 1992, and specialised in [real estate law](/source/Real_estate_law).[2] ## Military career Ridge joined the [British Army](/source/British_Army) on a short service commission in February 1992. She became a captain in the [Army Legal Services Branch](/source/Army_Legal_Services_Branch) of the [Adjutant General's Corps](/source/Adjutant_General's_Corps), shortly before the [Women's Royal Army Corps](/source/Women's_Royal_Army_Corps) was dissolved.[2][4] She was promoted to the rank of [major](/source/Major_(United_Kingdom)) on 26 February 1996,[5] to [lieutenant colonel](/source/Lieutenant_Colonel_(United_Kingdom)) on 26 February 2002,[6] to [colonel](/source/Colonel_(United_Kingdom)) on 30 June 2008,[7] and to [brigadier](/source/Brigadier_(United_Kingdom)) on 30 June 2012.[8] On 20 September 2015, she was promoted to [major general](/source/Major-general_(United_Kingdom)) and appointed Director-General of the Army Legal Services Branch.[9] In the [2019 New Year Honours](/source/2019_New_Year_Honours), she was appointed a [Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath) (CB).[10] Ridge was succeeded by Major-General Alexander Taylor as Director-General, Army Legal Services on 5 July 2019.[11] Ridge retired from the British Army on 18 October 2019.[12] She was appointed [Lady Usher of the Scarlet Rod](/source/Gentleman_Usher_of_the_Scarlet_Rod) of the [Most Honourable Order of the Bath](/source/Most_Honourable_Order_of_the_Bath) in June 2023.[13] ## Personal life Her husband is also an army officer. They have one son.[14] In 2016, she was made an [Honorary Fellow](/source/Honorary_Fellow) of [Bangor University](/source/Bangor_University) "for services to Law".[1] ## See also - Air Vice-Marshal [Elaine West](/source/Elaine_West); first woman promoted to [two-star rank](/source/Two-star_rank) in the British Armed Forces ## References 1. ["Honorary Fellows 2016"](https://www.bangor.ac.uk/about/hon_fellows16.php.en). *Bangor University*. 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2018. 1. Rayner, Jonathan (11 April 2016). ["Interview: Susan Ridge"](https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/people/interview-susan-ridge/5054609.article). *The Law Society Gazette*. Retrieved 16 July 2017. 1. ["Modern major general"](http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/modern-major-general/5050167.fullarticle). *The Law Society Gazette*. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015. 1. No. 52891. 13 April 1992. p. 6636. 1. No. 54336. 4 March 1996. p. 3331. 1. No. 56519. 26 March 2002. p. 3736. 1. No. 58752. 1 July 2008. p. 9836. 1. No. 60197. 3 July 2012. pp. 12689–12690. 1. No. 61372. 6 October 2015. p. 18566. 1. No. 62507. 29 December 2018. p. N2. 1. No. 62706. 9 July 2019. p. 12170. 1. No. 62803. 22 October 2019. p. 18914. 1. No. 64452. 8 July 2024. p. 13158. 1. ["MAJOR GENERAL SUSAN RIDGE"](https://www.ssafa.org.uk/major-general-susan-ridge). *SSAFA the armed forces charity*. Retrieved 4 July 2018. ## External links - [British Army appoints first female general](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/06/british-army-first-female-general-susan-ridge), The Guardian, 6 July 2015 - [British Army appoints first female general](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/11721295/British-Army-appoints-first-female-general.html), The Telegraph, 6 July 2015 - [Meet Nicky Moffat, the highest ranked woman in the British army](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/jan/11/nicky-moffat-highest-ranking-woman-army), The Guardian, 11 January 2012 |- --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Susan Ridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Ridge) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Ridge?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.