Frank Bewley, born in London in 1931, joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer in 1948 and was initially posted to RNAS Culdrose, where he recalls early trials of jets landing without undercarriage. He volunteered for Korea and joined 821 Squadron, which trained at RAF Makrihanish before heading to Korea in 1952. He served on HMS Glory, which flew old World War II Firefly 5s for ground support. He was responsible for maintaining his assigned aircraft and had a close relationship with his pilot, Lieutenant Barrett. Initially unfamiliar with Korea, he learned about its history through old World War II books. He found HMS Glory more friendly than other ships, but prone to rolling. He describes the challenges of working on the flight deck, where a lot of maintenance and arming work was completed, in inclement weather and the camaraderie among the crew. They still operated on messdecks containing up to 14 men, sleeping in hammocks and collecting food form the galley, rather than having a central canteen.

Charles Bull joined the Navy at 17 out of disillusionment with his initial career as a clerk, serving for 27 years and reaching Warrant Officer. His first ship assignment was HMS Kenya, where he worked in the pay office. The Kenya was never really in reserve, and most the ship's company were National Servicemen. During his time in Korea, he worked long hours, even more than during his defence stations. Bull and his team had to manage the pay documents for these servicemen, which was a major challenge. His Navy training was a stark contrast to his previous life, involving rigorous discipline and new responsibilities like preparing meals and seamanship training. He found the transition to ship life was challenging, with long hours and the need to catch up on paperwork. Despite the hardships, he found the experience valuable. He also talks about his first overseas experience in Malta, where he encountered cultural differences, including the taste of imported eggs and the presence of licensed prostitutes.