Albert Kingham shares his memories of being evacuated from Southend to Nottinghamshire at the age of eight. Albert dreamed of becoming a pilot and witnessed the first dogfight over Southend in 1939. During his four years in Nottinghamshire, he witnessed the bombing of Sheffield and collected shrapnel from crashed planes. At 14, his passion led him to join the Air Training Corps (ATC), where he received training, including parachute exercises, and flew in various aircraft. Albert recalls a memorable flight with a photographer over Germany in 1947, where he witnessed the devastating aftermath of the war in cities like Cologne. In 1948, Albert was stationed at Oakington during the Berlin Airlift, he recounts flying in Dakotas to and from Berlin. After leaving the ATC in 1951, he began a career as a naval tailor, helping produce battledress uniforms, including those worn during the Korean War. Albert’s story is one of bravery, resilience and a love for planes.

Even though Michael was in a protected occupation he joined the RAF as soon as possible. He trained as a flight engineer and was assigned to a Halifax bomber squadron, aged eighteen, in 1942. On their ninth flight the crew had to bail out over Britain due to lack of fuel. His parachute malfunctioned and did not initially open. It opened just in time and he went to a nearby farm. The rest of the crew thought he had been killed. His aircraft flew several sorties for Special Operations Executive, dropping agents into occupied France before D-Day. These missions were at low altitude and attracted a lot of fire from German light anti-aircraft guns. Many of the shells went right through the Halifax without causing too much damage. Eventually Michael and his crew completed a ‘tour’ of forty missions, although this took a toll on him, especially when he would notice some of beds in the barracks had not been slept in, meaning that those men were not returning. Michael was often physically sick at the start of a mission and kept a tin in the plane for this purpose. During his tour he went to see the base Medical Officer (MO) and said that he was not feeling well, to which the MO replied that it was Lack of Moral Fibre. Michael told him to f*** o** and just left. Michael wonders that, if there is a God, why he let all the killing of the war take place.

Mark Harding recounts his journey from working at Tesco to enlisting in the army at 19, inspired by his father with the aim of protecting the innocent from bullies wherever they were. He began his military career in the infantry, embracing each challenge without looking back. His service took him to conflict zones such as Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and ultimately Afghanistan. Mark seized every opportunity to improve his skills, including jungle training in Belize to become a sniper, which proved invaluable during his last two tours.

In 2010, Mark's life dramatically changed when he was shot and paralysed in Afghanistan. Initially treated at Camp Bastion, he was transferred to Selly Oak Hospital and placed in an induced coma. Upon awakening, Mark faced the devastating news that he would never walk again. Refusing to accept this fate, he embarked on a challenging rehabilitation journey, using functional electronic stimulation to aid his recovery.

Mark's determination led him to become the sole disabled member of the GB Dragon Boat racing team, representing his country in international competitions. Additionally, Mark has transformed his experiences into motivational speaking, inspiring and uplifting others with his remarkable story.