Bella Bailey reflects on her fascinating journey with the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) which changed her life forever. Struggling to find a purpose in post war Britain, Bella decided to join the RAF after discovering a notice for female recruits. Against her mother's wishes, she left home to train at a camp in Winslow. Showing a keen interest for puzzles, she later landed a job as a code messenger at Bletchley park which she thoroughly enjoyed, adapting quickly to the strict accuracy which the role required. Eventually she was posted to a camp in Lubeck, Germany which excited her adventurous spirit. She recalls the train ride through Germany, seeing the devastation caused by the bombings. During the Berlin Airlift, she continued to use a telex machine to send coded messages for important tasks such as reporting what food supplies the planes were transporting from one place to another. Outside of work, she explored Lubeck, learning to relax and have fun with her two friends May and Marj. Despite the tenseness of the atmosphere, the locals were friendly and the soldiers remained civil which made the environment feel safe and comfortable for them. She recalls one mischievous act in which she convinced a pilot to take her to Berlin which could only be done during her twenty four hour shift. Before they could lift off, the corporal caught her and sent her to cookhouse duties for a week. At the time of this interview, Bella has still not visited Berlin. The experience she gained left a profound impact on her life and would benefit her later when given the opportunity to work for the government in the diplomatic wire service. Bella's interview shows the life of a woman who understood discipline, harnessing it effortlessly into their skillset without obstructing her sense of fun and adventure.        

Air Vice Marshal Larry Lamb served with the RAF for 38 years, he took part in World War II and the Berlin airlift. Larry explains that his interest started when his Aunt bought him a book about the RAF. Larry went on to volunteer to join the RAF in 1941. Larry talks about training, explaining that candidates had to fly a Tiger Moth aircraft in under 12 hours of instruction to proceed. He passed this stage of training, with it only taking 8 hours of instruction. Training continued in Canada and Larry impressed so much that he was eventually put up for commission (made an officer) and was chosen to become a flight instructor. Larry continued as a flight instructor for the rest of the war. After the war, Larry joined Transport Command and went to Germany to fly in the Berlin airlift as a second pilot. During his time as a second pilot, he gained some much needed experience with that type of aircraft. This experience led to him joining No. 47 squadron as a captain, where he continued his work during the airlift. On his first flight in the airlift, he recalls the ‘shambolic’ state of Berlin, describing it as a very sobering experience. He describes that a standard day consisted of two trips, each lasting about two and a half hours there and back. The cargo transported into Berlin was mostly coal, sometimes tobacco. Larry mentions that contact with the Germans was discouraged at the time. Later in life Larry became Vice President of the British Airlift association and in 2008 showed his Royal Highness around the allied museum. Larry also went on to referee top flight international rugby!

Aircraft-obsessive Ken Plowman grew up painting models and flying rubber motored planes across his hometown before deciding to join the Royal Observers Corps at just 16. One year later, he joined the RAF where he trained and served as a First Pilot in the Glider Pilot Regiment during WWII. In this interview, Ken recalls the important moments in his 20 year Flight Lieutenant career, particularly the highlight of his service in Operation Varsity in 1945. Ken was a quick learner and was allowed to fly solo after only 6 hours of Tiger Moth flights. As well as training as a firefighter and a train driver whilst on camp, he became an eager fan of aerobatics. Sadly, a lot of these his comrades lost their lives due to the danger of the job, especially during Operation Varsity as Ken flew to the mission with 440 other gliders and 6000 paratroopers. He considers himself lucky to still be alive as memories of close encounters with Germans, jumping out to avoid crash landings and faulty prop blades fill his memory even to this day. His service to WWII is greatly acknowledged in this interview.