David reflects on his journey from playing in his school’s local brass band to touring Hong Kong with a military band. In 1977, he joined the Queen's Own Highlanders as a tuba player. He toured the UK with the band, performing alongside the bagpipe section, which had a love-hate dynamic. In 1978, he started his studies at Kneller Hall where he had memorable experiences, including performing at Buckingham Palace. David also recounts two tours in Northern Ireland, where his band performed while carrying out military duties. He felt on edge, as military musicians were often targeted in Ireland. In 1980, David was posted to Hong Kong, where he assisted with illegal immigration duties along the Hong Kong-China border. During this time, he suffered a tragic accident that led to the amputation of both his legs. Afterward, his faith deepened, and he became the padre at Kneller Hall. In this role, he supports fellow soldiers, leads chapel services, and shares the teachings of Jesus. David takes great pride in his time with the military band, looking back on his brave and inspiring story with fondness.

Diana was born in London in 1916, into a class whose activities were the subject of gossip in the newspapers and magazines of the day.  Like so many of her peers, however, she was more than a society lady: she intended to contribute to the war effort and held ambitions to join the ATS.  First, she joined the FANYs and throughout the winter of the Blitz drove a mobile canteen, calling at bomb shelters to support the hungry occupants and feeding the firemen while they fought fires in the bombed buildings. When she did join the ATS, her strong language skills gained during a year living in Germany meant she was assigned a role at Trent Park.  This North London mansion had been requisitioned and adapted by the intelligence service MI19 as a centre for the surveillance of German prisoners of war.  There, she and her colleagues recorded, transcribed and translated conversations between the prisoners which were then used in support of intelligence operations.   The publication of this previously unseen interview was made possible thanks to a grant from The Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charity, to mark 80 years since the closure of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in January 1946. 

In 1951, Norfolk-born John Lincoln volunteered for National Service. He was trained in Norfolk and Hong Kong before being shipped to Korea. John was recruited to the Royal Fusiliers after spending two weeks with the Black Watch. In the Fusiliers, he served as a stretcher bearer and jeep driver. John recalls life on the hills of Korea; he experienced frostbite, regular shelling’s, and – as a stretcher bearer – treacherous journeys into no man’s land to recover wounded soldiers. He recounts being hit by shrapnel whilst on duty and details how this still affects him today. John talks about the battle of the Hook and how he was stationed in a nearby wireless post. He speaks of the horror of hearing the battle, and the awful scenes the following morning. John goes on to briefly recall life on Hill 355 (Kowang San), specifically his use of the “Flying Fox” a Royal Engineer-made cable car which could transport soldiers up and down Gibraltar Hill – making his life much easier! Today, he laments the idea of a “forgotten war” as any soldiers lucky enough to survive still bear the physical and psychological scars from Korea.