Kay volunteered for the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a teenager in 1940. Toward the end of her training three ATS women were killed in Chatham and she volunteered as one of the replacements. This assignment was in the Y service, which was a worldwide network of intelligence gathering. Her work involved receiving messages from around the world, transcribing them so that they could be evaluated and passed on to various units. Some went to the Ultra decoding group at Bletchley Park. After several different locations her unit was sent to disguised purpose-built offices near Loughborough. Here she spent the next five years until the end of the war, which they knew was imminent when they received an uncoded message from Germany ‘Der Fuhrer ist kaput’! When the war ended she held the rank of sergeant. She was sworn to secrecy and did not talk about her work for thirty years, which irritated her mother. During her time in the Y service, she worked with Special Operations Executive and intelligence officers, including Kim Philby. She thinks that her work during the was worthwhile and has been told that it may have shortened the war by up to two years. In 1945 she married a man she met working at the same establishment, and they were both demobbed that year. She became a borough councillor and was thinking of standing as an MP but instead went with her husband to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) where they lived and worked for fifteen years.

Bill Campbell describes his journey from the forests and farms of northern Scotland, joining up in the Black Watch Regiment and being transferred to Germany. He shares his experiences of post-war Germany from the devastation of the city of Cologne to the relationship with the locals. He also describes how he ended up volunteering for what was to become the Berlin Airlift. With humour Bill recalls the daily logistical challenges of the Berlin Airlift, meeting Montgomery and a riding encounter with Hitler's horse. His interview highlights the important role the British Army played in the Berlin Airlift, the daily risks that were taken to keep the vital air corridor open. Bill's story is a reminder that volunteering for missions can sometimes take you in unexpected directions.

For London-based secretary, Peggy Jacobsen, joining a cause in the Second World War was “the obvious thing to do”. Her mission to help was set in motion shortly after a friend of her father’s came to dinner one evening. Peggy’s journey as a member of the FANY began in the summer of 1939, “roughing it” at Mytchett Camp, where she trained for the corps. After that, her unit became “really and truly mobilised”. The FANYs were originally founded as motor companies. Some members possessed technical skills, which made them good mechanics. Others, including Peggy, showcased their excellence at typewriters. Following a split that took place within the corps, Peggy was absorbed into the group known as ‘Free FANYs’, where she worked on administrative tasks in the office. Despite the name, Peggy quipped that she “Didn’t exactly feel very free”. Peggy also became involved with the Polish unit in Scotland and participated in the formation of FANY Headquarters Scotland. Here, the Polish unit provided necessities, including ambulances and drivers, as well as welfare services to the Poles. Throughout the interview, Peggy fondly remembers many friends and fellow FANY members, people she “will never forget”.   The publication of this previously unseen interview was made possible thanks to a grant from The Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charity, to mark 80 years since the closure of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in January 1946.