In his youth, Martyn was an army cadet and in the territorials but didn’t land a commission. Instead he went into hotel work which then led to cruise ships. He started out as assistant purser and in the 1980s was onboard the SS Uganda which Martyn calls the “naughty boys ship” because it was full of rogues! They were being used by schools as an educational ship and were at Egypt when they were requisitioned for the Falklands. It was a nerve wracking journey to Naples at night and avoiding the wrecks from the Six Day War. There the children and passengers disembarked, military personnel boarded and the ship was kitted out as a floating hospital. Martyn recalls in detail the total transformation the ship underwent. To start with, the journey south felt like an adventure and morale was high, they had the Royal Marine Band onboard who helped meld together the Merchant and Royal Navy, but reality hit home when they heard about the sinking of HMS Sheffield and the General Belgrano. One of the biggest challenges they faced was ensuring water supply and their priority upon arrival became engineering this. Meanwhile, Martyn became a stretcher bearer on top of his other responsibilities as well as volunteering to help in the hospital wards. He recalls some of the casualties who came his way, including three men he knew from his days in the TA. Of all the casualties who came on board, only three died. Martyn also vividly recalls coming incredibly close to two Phantom jets and their ship unwittingly sailing through a minefield, thankfully without damage. Upon return, it was Martyn’s responsibility to look after the supply of souvenirs. He was based on his own in the Matron’s office which meant he couldn’t see the welcome home fanfare. Eventually, sure he was missing out, he abandoned the souvenirs to find his family! Martyn says he wouldn’t wear his medal for a long time because he didn’t directly experience the war but a captain told him to wear it with pride, if it hadn’t been for the support of vessels like the Uganda they would not have succeeded.

Ann Bonsor shares her experience of joining the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) and undergoing complex training as a wireless telegraphist. Despite challenging shifts in confined spaces, Ann and her colleagues enjoyed their work. Sent to various locations including Algiers, Corsica, the south of France, and Sicily, they also worked at SOE bases in London and Cairo. Many women couldn't keep up, but Ann persevered, maintaining both her position and an active social life. Her time with FANY was exciting but also a reminder of the serious nature of their work. After 15 months in North Africa, Ann was transferred to SOE in Bari and then Sienna. As work slowed, she set up an educational course for younger FANY members. Ann fondly recalls her time in FANY as a tremendously rich experience.

Born in Farnborough Hampshire, with relatives in the army and air force, Paddy was keen to enlist in the services. Told with much humour and affection, she recalls her time in the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) from age seventeen in 1942. She began her two-week training to be an orderly at Overthorpe Hall in Banbury but was then asked to sign the Official Secrets Act. When asked about her hobbies she mentioned crossword puzzles and was sent to Grendon Underwood to work in the cipher office. Paddy volunteered to go to North Africa where she worked on Operation Monkey, coding and decoding messages from Italy to be sent to London about the Italian armistice. At Massingham in Algiers, a training centre for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) she decoded sometimes unclear wireless messages, working until they were deciphered. She recalls her satisfaction in making codes understandable, gaining writer’s cramp in the process, and tells anecdotes of her comradery with the other women working there. She returned to London where she worked as a coder on S.O.E Operation Periwig with Leo Marks at the Baker Street headquarters. Paddy arrived in Bombay on V.E Day. She witnessed servicemen returning from Burma and malnourished prisoners returning from the Siam railways, and laid on a reception for them as the war came to an end.