John Boyd grew up in Essex, the son of a cowman, and was called up for National Service in the early 1950s. After a string of rejections from other corps, he found himself posted to the Royal Signals via the REME — a twist of fate that would send him far from home.

On his way to Germany, John seized the chance to volunteer for Korea. He recalls the long sea crossing, a sobering stop in Hiroshima, and his first days on the frontline. There he was issued with a 19 set radio — built originally for the Russian Army and still marked with Cyrillic script — which became his responsibility.

In his interview, John shares detailed memories of signal work, from wiring and exchanges to his time attached to an American unit where discipline was rather different. His stories are punctuated with humour — a lorry fire, the quirks of kit — but also moments of sadness, particularly the loss of a comrade to haemorrhagic fever. John’s reflections offer a vivid glimpse into the vital, and often overlooked, role of communications in Korea.

After seeing the WRAC in a magazine, Loraine was inspired to join the army and in 1973 arrived at Guildford. Determined to work with animals, she was quickly posted to Mulgrave where she began her specialised dog training. Loraine describes how following graduation, each woman was given a 'line' to maintain. She recalls the strict disciplinary environment of the kennels and the limited positions for women available. Although members of the WRAC were in training with dogs, they weren't officially allowed to train dogs - only handle them, as this was an overtly male profession. Following her years at the kennels, she left to work in a veterinary hospital on promotion. Devastatingly, she was forced to leave on conditions of marriage but after divorcing years later, was able to rejoin the WRAC with the encouragement of other women around her. She provides some interesting insights into the changing climate when she returned to the army in 1984. After becoming a qualified instructor, in 1988 she was promoted to a professional horse coach and groom at the Saddle Club in Hong Kong. In this interview, Loraine describes the disbandment of the WRAC as a societal indicator that not only were women's roles changing, but they were moving beyond a restrictive system.

Raised in the garrison town of Colchester, Maisie enlisted in 2002 after earning her music degree. She trained at Kneller Hall before joining the band of the Parachute Regiment. As a trumpet player, Maisie describes the immense pressure of performing The Last Post at commemorations and funerals. Maisie served in Iraq in 2004, stationed in Basra, and Afghanistan in 2010-2011. She notes the unique experience of being one of the few women in a male-dominated environment during these conflicts. She also describes the various roles of the band in an active war zone, in addition to sustaining morale. After almost a decade of service, Maisie left the army in 2011. She recounts many of the incredible events she performed at, and expresses how difficult it was to leave that identity behind when returning to civilian life.