As a child Margaret travelled around the world with her father who was in the Royal Navy, therefore when she settled in England, joined the WRAC as a means of continuing her travels. Margaret joined in 1975, and as the first intake of army recruits after the Guildford bomb, she described the unnerving atmosphere and extreme safety precautions that were at place during her first six weeks of training. Having previously trained as a hairdresser, Margaret continued this trade and was quickly posted to Northern Ireland where she ran her own hairdressers in Aldergrove. She describes the horror of the bombings, shootings and overall violence in Ireland and her experience with PTSD following this posting. When asked to reflect on the WRAC, Margaret states that although she enjoyed the confidence being in the military gave her, she felt resentment towards the manner in which her career was so easily terminated as a result of pregnancy.

Bernard Barker provides a riveting recount of his life in the 1st Royal Tank Regiment during the Korean War. Beginning as a poverty-stricken farm boy, he was soon conscripted into National Service where he was given a choice between the infantry regiment and the tank regiment. He chose the latter, having no keenness for marching! Already having experience driving tractors on his farm, he learned quickly. Following his training in Germany, he was sent off to Korea where he was given the privilege of driving a 50-ton Centurion Tank; a formidable war machine due to its strong armour protection and high survivability rate. He recalls defending the Hook (a defended section of the UN frontline) and was ordered to keep the tank in a static position while firing towards incoming Chinese troops. He remembers the difficult weather conditions, dealing with both the cold of winter and the intense humidity of summer, all the while pelting the enemy with various ammunition such as armour-piercing rounds and two inch mortars. Throughout the battle, Bernard recalls the UN having the overall advantage since the Chinese failed to remain elusive, making them easy targets. However, he always found himself in an extremely vulnerable position as it was also his job to carry ammunition from a bunker outside into the tank, coming close to death on numerous occasions. Eventually, the battle reached a ceasefire but Barker was still required to stay and train at least until the following December, lest the delicate peace was abruptly shattered. He reflects on the Chinese who surrendered and how some of their people had since integrated themselves into Western Society. Bernard's story is one of poverty to prominence and offers insight into the nature of tank warfare during the Korean war and the relationships which developed between East and West.

Following completion of an apprenticeship, Peter signed on as a regular in the Army for three years in 1951, because it meant he could choose where he wanted to serve. After training, he served in the Royal Army Service Corps as a driver. He tells of a posting to HQ Southern Command and from there being sent to Korea. Like many others, he explains that he hadn’t heard of Korea before this. Embarking at Southampton on the Empire Fowey, he and his compatriots travelled first to Japan. He recounts the journey from Japan to Korea, travelling through Hiroshima and seeing the crater, following which he was parachuted into Seoul. He was posted to the 26th Field Ambulance Division and drove both ambulances and transport. He tells of the poor conditions of the roads and the impact of the weather on their work, including that their trucks would freeze during the winter if not looked after properly. At the end of the Korean War, Peter tells of his brief foray into athletics, running for the battalion. He was then posted to Hong Kong. He expresses frustration at the lack of attention given to the Korean war in comparison to other wars.