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The Wright Stuff: Inspirational Naval Nurse Abigail named Defence's Woman of the Year
26 November 2025
Trailblazing nurse Abigail Wright has been hailed Defence’s ‘woman of the year’ for championing the mental health of submariners.
Her outstanding efforts earned her a string of citations/nominations from across the Service – and resulted in her being singled out at the 2025 Women in Defence Awards as ‘woman of the year.
The Leading Naval Nurse was unable to attend the ceremony in London as she is deployed with the UK’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales, which returns to Portsmouth next month after an eight-month deployment to the western Pacific.
Instead, she watched proceedings streamed live to the cabin of the carrier’s captain, joined by the Royal Navy’s Director of People and Training Rear Admiral Jude Terry who officially presented the award.
“It hasn’t fully sunk in yet – what an experience it was,” said the 33-year-old from Nottingham.
“I was surprised to find out I had been nominated in the Outstanding Contribution Category – then to be shortlisted… and then a finalist, I could not believe it.
“I know there are some incredible Women in Defence, I’ve met them, I’ve had the pleasure of working with them, these are the women who have inspired me, and I never expected to see my name amongst theirs.”
I know there are some incredible Women in Defence - these are the women who have inspired me, and I never expected to see my name amongst theirs.
Already a trained mental health nurse working in a civilian hospital – she holds a degree in psychology and masters in nursing – Abigail joined the Navy in September 2020, since when she’s worked at hospitals in Portsmouth, supported Royal Marines training in Norway, and then went to Faslane.
It’s her time there – she describes it as “some fantastic and eye-opening experiences supporting the submarine population” – which features most prominently in her award nominations.
As the sole dedicated mental health nurse assigned to the Submarine Service – a community of around 5,000 souls performing demanding tasks on a daily basis, not merely separated from loved ones for weeks on end, but for much – or all – of that time completely cut off from the outside world.
With some particularly lengthy patrols by some boats recently, the mental wellbeing for crews has assumed even greater importance.
To better understand that world, Abigail volunteered for to undertake submarine escape training to allow her to go to sea on boats and experience what crews go through.
And when boats have come back from their missions, the nurse has ensured the returning submariners receive the support and understanding they need to reintegrate into everyday life.
In addition to the support Abigail has provided to the Silent Service, she’s a fierce advocate for Women in Defence, organised the first International Women’s Day at Faslane, organised weekly ‘mindfulness’ sessions, quickly became the Faslane representative of the Naval Service Women’s Network (and is now national co-secretary), dedicating much of her personal time to raising awareness of opportunities for women in the Royal Navy.
All of which, say colleagues, makes her a tremendous asset to fellow female sailors, to Clyde Naval Base, to the Submarine Service and to the Royal Navy as a whole.
The glowing testimonials provided by colleagues to the awards’ judges describe her as “committed”, “diligent”, “welcoming” and “supportive”, possessing an ability to talk freely with admirals and able ratings, veteran submariners and those like herself relatively new to the Silent Service on delicate issues and, quite simply, “a beacon of inspiration within the Royal Navy”.
Abigail has been assigned to the medical team on HMS Prince of Wales since August and in the new year, promoted to petty officer, will move to Plymouth to use her expertise working in the Department for Community Mental Health.