George enlisted in the navy at fifteen and war broke out three months later. When news came of British ships being sunk with fellow recruits on board he realised that he was just a cog in the wheel and there was a long struggle ahead. Aged sixteen he was serving on HMS Devonshire, patrolling the Indian Ocean. Shortly after leaving Freetown news came of the German battleship Bismarck and escorts breaking out into the Atlantic and they were ordered to head north. A British convoy was under threat and Devonshire was part of a large force assembled to hunt the enemy. During the battle George and his comrades could hear the German 15-inch shells flying overhead. After hours of pounding from the Royal Navy the Bismarck’s big guns were silent and the Devonshire closed in and finished the German ship with torpedoes. Some survivors were rescued but they had to leave the area due to reported U-boats, although they left behind all their life rafts for the survivors. A few months later after weeks at sea they were escorting convoys in the Far East. After leaving Colombo with their sister ship HMS Cornwall they were attacked by Japanese dive-bombers from one of the enemy carrier groups. Within ten minutes they had been hit and began to sink, followed shortly by the Cornwall. In the sea they were machine-gunned by Japanese aircraft. After thirty hours, with little food and water under the hot sun, the survivors were rescued by British warships.

Despite recurring bouts of Bovine TB contracted from her uncle's cows, Patricia Davies passed a fitness test to join the Women's Royal Navy Service [WRN - AKA the Wrens] in 1942. She was 19 and was sent to Southmead House in Wimbledon to develop her linguistic skills. She benefitted from some schooling with German refugees. She recalls that the Royal Navy repurposed various buildings for optimal radio coverage, including Scarborough racecourse. Patricia's work, detailed from her base at a Lyme Regis golf club, involved intercepting German radio traffic. Though not the most thrilling location, she fondly recalls some enjoyable moments. Her next post was at Abbots Cliff near Dover, a busier station closer to enemy lines. Patricia vividly remembers the buildup to D-Day and the moment she learned of the second front's opening. Two weeks later, she turned 21, reflecting on the period's innocence. The war's end was bittersweet for Patricia. While it was a time of great celebration, her father remained a POW in the Far East, with little information about his condition. Thankfully, he survived, allowing the family to move forward and Patricia to pursue a career in television. Meeting both Patricia and her sister Jean Argles was a privilege.

In September of 1943, 17 year old Vic Walker volunteered with the Royal Navy as an able seaman and subsequently served on the HMS Versatile during D-Day. He shares the memories of his first escort convoy trips from across the harsh Atlantic ocean, his duties on board and his amazement for the construction of Mulberry Harbour and the PLUTO line. During D-Day, he would be on watch 24/7 without a moment to relax as his duties involved being the messenger on board. Despite being so young, Vic recounts the pride him and his brotherhood of shipmates took in their work as they knew it was their destiny to fight; whether they came back alive or not. Sadly, life on the water was not so safe and Vic shares tells the stories of losing members of his crew to the unforgiving waters. In his later life, Vic has revisited Normandy to pay respects to those who lost their lives and to commemorate those who fought on the beaches at D-Day, whether they be British or German.