Lyle was fascinated by aircraft and joined the RAF aged seventeen and a half. One of his first assignments was Singapore which was a long way for someone who had never travelled further south than Liverpool. In 1978 he was posted to the Nuclear Strike Force in West Germany, but further information on this is classified and he could not give details. He really enjoyed working with the Chinook helicopter and when the Falklands war began his squadron was assigned to the invasion fleet. On their journey through the Atlantic the RAF troops trained with the Army and a RSM informed the troops that some of them may not be coming home. It was then that he suddenly realised that they were really going to fight in a war. The paratroopers were psyched up before they landed, which affected the RAF personnel too. Lyle watched an Argentine plane bomb British positions which reinforced the feeling that this was a real conflict. After the first landings Lyle, carrying a large bag of cryptographic material, and nineteen others were put ashore temporarily on a hillside. They stayed there for four days and nights, with only sidearms and little food. It was cold, wet and windy but eventually they were brought back. His squadron lost all their aircraft but no personnel were killed. After this the men of the squadron were split up to help on board the invasion fleet. Lyle had an exciting time in the RAF and enjoyed his career.

Starting as a Bevin Boy, Alan Hewett, struggled to settle down after being demobbed. Determined to follow his dream, Alan joined the RAF. Originally stationed at RAF Melksham, Alan met his future wife, Eve. Later he was sent to North Luffenham, working as a mechanical engineer, Alan replaced Dakota aeroplane engines during the Berlin Airlift. Although RAF Luffenham wasn’t a very social place, Alan reflects on how his downtime was spent there. After serving as an instructor at Melksham and on tour in Iraq, Alan was meant to be demobbed. Instead he took a job at RAF Crawley, building the De Havilland Comet 2 flight simulator. At RAF Little Rissington, Alan became the chief in charge of simulators for the NATS, which later became the Red Arrows. Lastly, Alan reflects on the independence and self-reliance that his time spent in the RAF taught him. He details how his 22 years of service shaped his confidence, work ethic, and even his marriage, affording him with an overall ‘great life’.

Marcel Jaurant-Singer joined the French Resistance in 1941. In 1942, he was sent across the Pyrenees and was transported – with the help of Allied operatives – to England, where he would be trained as a Special Operations Executive (SOE). Upon arrival in England, Marcel was sent to Commando training in Scotland, before returning to England to complete his wireless training at Thame park – he managed all this despite not speaking a word of English. In March 1944, Marcel was parachuted back into France where he quickly established an undercover network. Marcel goes on to recount his life as a wireless operator, outlining the cat and mouse game of avoiding detection by German troops – including the need to cycle up to 60km per day! Marcel’s contact with London in the build up to D-Day resulted in him taking charge of arming and training 350 men to prepare for the invasion. He talks in detail of how they used the existing infrastructure of secret caves and hills from WW1 to carry out these operations. Marcel’s interview ends with a brief discussion of his experience working alongside female SOE agents. This completes a fascinating insight into the structure of secret operations in occupied France and the development of French resistance forces in the build-up to D-Day.