The first woman to ever serve in the British Army is actually not a woman. Go figure. 

According to SkyNews, 24-year-old Chloe Allen, originally named Ben, joined the Scots Guards in 2012 and has now begun hormone therapy treatment after changing his name to that of a woman last month. SkyNews elected to call him a she. 

Since being established in 1600, the British Army has not allowed women to serve in Ground Close Combat units until July of last year. Though they claim Allen to be the "first," no actual woman has stepped up to claim that title. 

"It is a great honour to be able to make history and at the same time do my job, it's just brilliant, I'm just looked at as a normal person," Allen told The Sun. "I'd love to inspire people to just come out and be themselves, as much as it's a big bad world, it's not as bad as what people think it is, and it's easier when you've got your mates and your bosses behind you."

Allen maintains that he never wished to become famous over his transgender, only wanting to perform his duty according to his self-identity. 

"I didn't set out to make history, it's just the way it's happened," he said. "There's nothing that can stop me at all, this is not just a job, this is a career for me."

Though Allen kept his transgender secret throughout his military tenure, he decided to come clean after a fellow soldier caught him cross-dressing. 

"It took another eight months to a year before I told anyone in the battalion that I wanted to do it," he said. "My transition has been as easy as it could have got for me, the battalion has been brilliant, the Army has been brilliant, the lads have been brilliant."

"You do ask yourself, 'am I sure I'm going to go through with this, am I sure this is right for me?'" he added. "But everyone's different that is transgender, everyone has different thoughts they are across the same lines. It's more about accepting yourself."

General Sir James Everard, Commander of the Field Army, has welcomed Allen's transgender reveal, fooling himself into believing that he's the first woman to serve in the Army. 

"I'm delighted to have our first woman serving in a ground close combat unit," said Everard. "The British Army is really proving itself as an inclusive organisation where everyone is welcome and can thrive. Recent awards from Stonewall and the opening up of all elements of military service to women are clear evidence of this.

"Being the first of anything takes courage. I applaud Guardsman Chloe Allen for being a trendsetter and wish her every success."