Dundee - Tay Division

Military experience

Mairi ‘Kit’ McKinley joined the Royal Naval Reserve at HMS Dalriada in Greenock in 1996. Once she had completed her initial and branch training, Kit became an Able Seaman (Communications (Sea)), serving on a number of RN and RFA vessels as a Voice Operator.

Kit passed an Admiralty Interview Board in 2000 and began Junior Officer training at Britannia Naval College Dartmouth. Passing her Fleetboard in 2003, she joined the Command Support (Ops) branch and spent periods of training both on land and at sea, including time in HMS Gloucester in the North and South Atlantic.
Having trained as a nurse in the 1990’s, Kit transferred to the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service (Reserves) in 2006. She was then appointed to the Commodore’s staff as the Training Officer with the National Command, Leadership and Management Training Unit (CLMTU(R)). This role involved delivering training at the Royal Navy’s Outdoor Leadership Training Establishment at Talybont, a purpose built site based in the great Welsh outdoors.

In 2008, Kit returned to the Commodore’s staff as the Officer in Charge within the CLMTU(R). She enjoyed overseeing all Command, Leadership and Management training delivered by RNR training units throughout the UK.
Promoted to Lieutenant Commander in June 2009, Kit became the Officer in Charge of Tay Division, Dundee in December 2009 and is now getting to know the City of Discovery.
Living in Angus, Kit is a lecturer in Adult Nursing at the University of Abertay. During her spare time, she enjoys hill walking, wild camping and providing medical support to endurance racing events in the UK and overseas.