Michael White grew up in wartime England, facing rationing and Nazi air raids. At 18, Michael signed up for National Service and trained as a driver for the Royal Artillery. In August 1951, he travelled on the Empire Fowey for his first deployment in the Far East. After reaching Japan, he was sent to Kowloon, Hong Kong, where he learnt about the brutal fighting in Korea. Soon after, he was chosen for duty in Korea. Before leaving, he trained with mortars and became a Technical Assistant Royal Artillery (TARA). Michael recalls how he used 4.2 mortars against the enemy and his experience of napalm. Soldiers experienced very rough conditions, dealing with lice and long periods without washing. During rest and recuperation in Incheon and Hiroshima, Michael experienced Asian culture and much-needed relaxation. He fondly remembers flying over Mount Fuji and notes that many soldiers took photos beside signposts showing how far away home was. Michael has since returned to Korea, witnessing its amazing transformation. For his service, the Koreans awarded him a medal and invited him to visit a memorial in Pusan, honouring those who died.

Janet began her journey with the WRAC in the early 1970s and knew on arrival that it was the right career for her. Although she initially found life at Guildford a bit of shock, by the time she had finished her trade training with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, she felt like a soldier. She describes her first posting to Rheindahlen where aside from working on classified clerical work, she embarked on many trips to surrounding cities and landscapes. Janet also recalls the rising threat of Eastern Germany, and her own exposure to the realities of the Cold War. After Germany she was posted to Beaconsfield, Krefeld and Deepcut where she became chief clerk of the WRAC company in 1976. Although this was a great achievement, Janet remembers still feeling outnumbered by men in the army and experiencing gender discrimination even at her rank. The rest of the interview follows her journey to London, back to Rheindahlen, and finally becoming quartermaster at Aldershot where she campaigned for contraceptive machines in the women's blocks. A fantastic interview and a true trailblazer, we thank Janet for her inspiring story of the frustrations, limitations and power of women in the army.

Basil Chambers recounts his experiences stationed in volatile post-war Berlin. The severe winter of 1947 motivated Basil to enlist in the Royal Norfolk Regiment. He joined the Signals Corps where he trained to become an instructor, and on passing his exams was sent to post-war Berlin. Taken to barracks in the suburb of Spandau, Basil recalls open land, and a lack of building, that is except for Spandau Prison, which housed convicted Nazi war criminals. Basil recounts the surreal experience of watching Rudolf Hess take his daily walk. Identified as a sportsman, Basil tells of his eagerness to run in the 5,000 metres, despite not having ‘a clue what that was’! His desire to succeed means he can boast the rare accolade of victory at the Berlin Olympic Stadium! The souring of Western Allies and Soviet Union relations resulted in road, rail and water blockades by Soviet forces. The airlifts that followed, taking food and fuel into Berlin, introduced Basil to flying, albeit sitting on crates of cheese! Basil and his colleagues gained a rare insight into life in post-war Berlin. He describes a community dealing with power outages and food shortages, but his overriding memory is that of resilient hardworking people ‘really making an effort to get back on their feet’.