TWO members of the same family achieved the same rank in the Army – 50 years apart.

Both Lance Corporal Alan Maloney, then of Grateley, and his great-niece Lance Corporal Yazmin Maloney, of Andover, have celebrated completing one of the Army’s most exacting technical courses.

In September 1962, 20-year-old L-Cpl Alan Maloney received the light blue beret to mark both promotion and his appointment to the new trade of aircraft technician in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME).

Half a century later, in autumn 2012, 19-year-old L-Cpl Yazmin “Yaz” Maloney celebrated the same achievement.

Alan attended Andover’s Wellum House and West Holme Schools before beginning his career in 1958 as an apprentice at Arborfield, where he trained as a telecommunication technician, working in many of the same buildings and drilling on the same square that his niece would come to know.

He spent 35 years in REME, specialising in helicopters for much of this time, -and retired from the Army in 1993 – the year Yaz was born.

Yaz attended Winton School, in Andover, from 2004 to 2009, during which time she became a student leader and sports ambassador, gaining 13 GCSEs and an award for helping in the community.

At the age of 13, she joined 1 Flight of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Army Cadets, where she served for three years before leaving to join the regular Army.

Her induction began in January 2010 at the Army Foundation College, Harrogate.

Having completed initial training, Yaz was posted to the School of Electronic and Aeronautical Engineering at Arborfield, where she became a qualified aircraft technician.

This was followed by Apache conversion. She is now posted to Wattisham in Suffolk with her first tour in Afghanistan likely to happen soon.