Kay Wingate joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) at 19, inspired by her father, who had previously served in the army. Originally from Essex, her military career took her to the Isle of Man, where she trained as a member of the top-secret Y service, listening in to German military wireless signals. After learning how to decipher Morse code, she was then stationed in Harrogate as a wireless operative. Kay recalls she had ‘no aptitude’ for Morse and had to learn it from scratch. Despite this challenge, she surpassed the speed of 18 words per minute, a skill which offered her better pay. Some of the messages that the ATS decoded were sent to Bletchley Park. Having signed the Secrets Act, she wasn’t able to tell a soul about her work. She was released from service in 1946. Kay looks back on her time with the ATS with fond memories, which saw the forging of lifelong friendships. While she never saw combat, her interview offers an important insight into the day-to-day operations of those involved in the Secret War, in addition to the vital work carried out by the women’s branch of the British Army.

In 1965 15-year-old Rusty wanted to be like Mick Jagger. He was taken by his father to enlist in the army on the notoriously tough Junior Leaders Regiment Royal Artillery in Bramcote, Nuneaton. He joined the 49 Field Regiment Royal Artillery and went to Northern Ireland, where he was shot at. Rusty applied to a Commando course and travelled to Plymouth to join the 29 Commando section. He passed the gruelling selection and was put in 145 Battery, 29 Commando before going to HQ Battery to be a training wing instructor. He spent three years there undertaking parachute jumps. Influenced by a friend, Rusty applied for SAS (Special Air Service) selection, taking courses in paramedics, signals, demolitions and medics language. He trained in the SP (Special Projects) team in jungle and dessert environments. This training prepared him for the 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege in London, where he was third in command of his team as a Lance Corporal. His mission (Operation Nimrod) was to rescue hostages, which took six days of tense negotiation, intelligence gathering and finally storming and securing the building. Rusty’s B squadron was deployed to the Falkland Islands conflict in 1982. He trained in parachuting from C130 aircrafts on the Ascension Islands, perilously jumping into sixteen-foot waves. Rusty later went into the VIP Protection Cell where he trained regiments in body guarding and royalty protection. For his last two years he became a PSI / Quartermaster in the 23^rd SAS. Although Rusty did not initially want to join the army, he became heavily involved in sport and felt it was the making of him, gaining many friends.