Colin Cottle describes what it was like to grow up during WWII, when the Blitz meant camping out in the basement, plane spotting and finding shrapnel on the way to school. When the war ended, many young people struggled to find work so Colin signed himself up to the army, aged 16, and was swiftly sent to the front line of the Berlin Airlift as a mechanic, helping to get often overloaded allied planes to Soviet-controlled areas of the city. Colin shares details of the devastating impact war had had on the German landscape, and how life inside the military bases changed with the arrival of the Americans and their all-you-can-eat breakfasts and nightly trips into town. He also shares fascinating insights into the black market, where cigarettes and coffee were a strong currency for the impoverished locals, and explains how these clandestine trades took place and what he would do with the cash. Many years after his service, Colin chanced upon others who served in Fassberg at a book talk on the Berlin Airlift. A deeply emotional trip back to the base with them served as a reminder that, although he was just 18 years old, he played an important role in the history of the Cold War.

Jane knew she wanted to join the Royal Military Police, and although she disliked the uniform, enjoyed the many opportunities to learn and improve. After completing her specialised trade training and NBC practices, Jane was first posted to Berlin where she worked on check points and interacted with Russians at the border. Jane recalls the threat of nuclear warfare and the shared realisation amongst soldiers that there would not have been enough reserves for them to all have survived more than a few days. She was then posted to Northern Ireland, firstly to Aldergrove and then Portadown. Jane returned to Berlin years later, where even as a Sergeant she struggled with misogyny in the officer's mess. Jane faced repeated issues with gender discrimination and was taken to trial, but won her case and moved to Ireland with her husband to escape the misogynistic environment in Münster. Jane felt strongly that the WRAC shouldn't have been disbanded. She didn't, and still doesn't, like the idea of women being under a male hierarchy and in her interview maintains that she made the right decision to leave when the WRAC was disbanded.