18-year-old John Woodward followed in the footsteps of his father, uncle and grandfather by enlisting in the Royal Navy in 1942, keen to join the fight and do his bit for the war effort. His original intention was to become a signaller but when he was found to be colour blind, he was transferred to the minesweepers and based on the Isle of Sheppey at Queenborough Pier. John shares details of his early training and his role onboard the minesweeper, and recounts a particularly inspired yet risky manoeuvre ordered by the ship’s captain when the Germans’ mine-laying tactics had become a little too predictable. As well as providing details about the types of mines deployed by the Germans and how his minesweeper dislodged them, John also recalls both the build-up to D-Day and the actual event itself, before going on to talk about VE Day and his memories of the occasion. Like his peers, John shares his story with remarkable modesty, but it is easy to find behind his words the bravery, commitment and dedication with which he served, and which will form the heart of his legacy for many years to come.

Ted Baker joined the navy in January 1942. After basic training at Skegness and qualifying as a telegraphist, he deployed on patrol craft to Halifax, Nova Scotia. There, he joined a T-Class trawler for local defence, engaging in anti-submarine patrols and mine sweeping. He returned to Europe in time to take part in the D-Day landings, escorting convoys from Wales and Plymouth. After commissioning, he was on the way to the Far East when the war ended, so was subsequently involved in the repatriation of POWs from Hong Kong. Reflecting on his naval service, Ted valued comradeship, especially on smaller ships, and recalled vivid memories of working with Canadian and Newfoundland seamen, especially one for whom he had to correspond with his girlfriend because he could not write. Post D-Day, Ted's ship collected bodies from Omaha beachhead, a grim task that left lasting impressions. The noise from naval barrages was overwhelming. While a positive experience, like most veterans, he wishes it had never happened.

When Joe Pitcher was called up into the Royal Navy in 1941, his military career began at HMS Glendower, a training facility preparing sailors for service on defensively equipped merchant ships (DEMS). Throughout his ensuing service, Joe sailed on the coastal, Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific convoys. He shares his memories of how it felt each time he changed ship and had to get used to working with a completely new crew, and adapting to the ship’s life and rules. He also remembers with wry humour a number of near misses along the way, including a scramble to find an ammunition locker stopcock, dodging a bullet from a round accidentally fired off by a young sailor in the mess, and surviving two separate torpedo hits on the same ship. Joe’s service ended in Singapore where the true horrors of war were brought into sharp focus when the hospital ship he was on took aboard countless near-to-death POWs. With great modesty, Joe says he was glad to have been able to do his bit, and shares with deep emotion his gratitude for surviving the war when so many others weren’t so lucky.