Philip’s career at sea has covered a range of experiences including working his way up from cadet to third mate on a cargo shop and a summer season on a hovercraft, which he calls “the original vomit comet” making journeys across the Channel. He joined the Queen Elizabeth II in 1978 and spent 10 years working onboard. Philip was meant to be on leave when the ship was requisitioned to attend the Falklands but he honourably stepped up and offered to swap with a married man. As a Cunard employee, but having spent time in the Royal Navy Reserves, Philip was well placed to become the Liaison Officer between ship operations and the military. He describes in detail the changes made to the QE2 to make the ship ready for transporting over 3000 troops and the technical difficulties they had to surmount. He also recalls the press interest in the ship and how visiting dignitaries, such as the Foreign Secretary, would have to be accommodated. Philip says the mix of personnel worked well and most people rehearsed a number of roles due to the uncertainty ahead, in particular, the Gurkha troops were incredibly diligent in practicing evacuation drills. The closer they get, the more the reality hits of what is ahead as they receive news of casualties and sunken warships. Icebergs are a real threat too and having to travel without radar (in case of detection) was risky. One treacherously foggy day a Cunard officer switched the radar back on and just as well he did because it alerted them to icebergs all around. Even anchoring the ship at Grytviken was dangerous as the water was so deep. Philip is able to recall in detail the operations taking place followed by a complex refuelling process to get them home safely. The return was very emotional as they were the first major ship to get back and carrying hundreds of survivors. They were welcomed home by the Queen Mother. Philip reflects that this time was a huge adventure and not something he could ever have imagined being part of as a normal Merchant Navy sailor.

Born in 1931, Ronald George Yardley faced the hardships of wartime as a child. At 18, he joined the Navy, trained for six weeks at HMS Royal Arthur, and became a Wireless Telegraphist. He later served on HMS Belfast and was deployed to Korea. Ron remembers the immense cold as they journeyed closer to Korea, travelling through frozen seas. When the Belfast arrived in Korea the bombardment and involvement in the war started immediately. He remembers a sad moment when the ship’s water pipes burst after being hit by enemy fire, scalding a soldier to death. Ron also recalls two marines who died on a mission, their bodies never recovered. Ron recounts a heartfelt moment when a young orphan from his mess deck, who never received letters, asked if Ron could read some of his own to help him feel connected to life back home. After leaving HMS Belfast, Ron was posted to HMS Royal Prince in Germany, where he carried out exercises on Hermann Goering’s luxury yacht. He remains deeply thankful to the South Koreans for funding the National Korean War Memorial, a place he proudly takes his grandchildren to.

Douglas attended a naval school at age 10 and started training at sea aged 14 as a cadet. He became the youngest petty officer in the navy and at the start of WW2 he was serving on HMS Coventry, an anti-aircraft cruiser. He later served on the cruiser HMS Fiji and then the battleship King George V which was providing cover for Russian convoys. He was present when this ship and others sank the German battleship Bismarck in 1941. During this time he received news that his brother had been killed in North Africa. By June 1944 he was chief coxswain on board HMS Prince Charles, a ship carrying eight landing craft. He, and others, were given pills to help them stay awake for 24 hours. The ship picked up US Rangers, troops he describes as ‘brilliant soldiers’, at Southampton. They then sailed to Omaha beach, disembarking the Rangers from their landing craft at 7am on D-Day. Despite heavy Allied shelling and bombing the German defences took a heavy toll on the American troops. He remembers one landing craft hitting a mine and parts of bodies being hurled through the air. At one point, during the chaos of the fighting, he jumped into the sea and turned a landing craft around to enable the troops to disembark. He described this not as conscious bravery but something he did spontaneously under the stress of the situation. His only injury of the war was losing some teeth during a game of hockey!