A FEMALE RAF recruit from Odiham has been awarded £100,000 in compensation for injuries she suffered by marching in step with male colleagues.

Tracie Davies, 29, of Wooldridge Crescent, was one of three women to be awarded the cash by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) this summer after a five-year legal battle.

The trio claimed that parading alongside taller male recruits caused them to over-stride repeatedly over several weeks, which led them to develop spinal and pelvic injuries.

In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Miss Davies, who is 5ft 4ins, said she suffered four pelvic fractures and was medically discharged from the RAF in 2008.

She said: “The guys were over 6ft so I was over-striding to march in step with them.

“When I started getting pains in my groin, I was told to march through it, even when I was carrying a heavy pack which was almost the size of me.

“I trusted the medics to know better than me so I carried on marching.”

All the women, who received basic training at RAF Halton, in Buckinghamshire, were said to have fully recovered from their injuries.

The women said they were forced to extend their stride to 30ins while undergoing basic training. RAF official policy now states that female recruits should not be expected to extend the length of their strides beyond 27ins.

The MoD confirmed that a settlement had been reached with the women in August.

A spokesman said: “When compensation claims are submitted, they are considered on the basis of whether or not the Ministry of Defence has a legal liability to pay compensation.

“Where there is a legal liability to pay compensation, we do so. The RAF takes the welfare of its recruits very seriously.”

The amount of compensation paid took into account each claimant’s pain and suffering, degree of injury, property losses, past and future financial losses and the level of care required.