George enlisted in the navy at fifteen and war broke out three months later. When news came of British ships being sunk with fellow recruits on board he realised that he was just a cog in the wheel and there was a long struggle ahead. Aged sixteen he was serving on HMS Devonshire, patrolling the Indian Ocean. Shortly after leaving Freetown news came of the German battleship Bismarck and escorts breaking out into the Atlantic and they were ordered to head north. A British convoy was under threat and Devonshire was part of a large force assembled to hunt the enemy. During the battle George and his comrades could hear the German 15-inch shells flying overhead. After hours of pounding from the Royal Navy the Bismarck’s big guns were silent and the Devonshire closed in and finished the German ship with torpedoes. Some survivors were rescued but they had to leave the area due to reported U-boats, although they left behind all their life rafts for the survivors. A few months later after weeks at sea they were escorting convoys in the Far East. After leaving Colombo with their sister ship HMS Cornwall they were attacked by Japanese dive-bombers from one of the enemy carrier groups. Within ten minutes they had been hit and began to sink, followed shortly by the Cornwall. In the sea they were machine-gunned by Japanese aircraft. After thirty hours, with little food and water under the hot sun, the survivors were rescued by British warships.

Always keen on adventure and the outdoor life, Don Maclean joined the Royal Marines Reserves in 1995 when he was 17, and received his green beret 18 months later whilst also studying engineering at university. He explains how part-time training worked and talks about the toughest challenges he faced, before reflecting on the level of self-motivation required to maintain the physical and mental fitness of a regular Royal Marine whilst living a civilian life on standby for mobilisation. In 2010 Don was called up for an operational tour of Afghanistan. He shares memories of arriving in Camp Bastion as a member of X-Ray Company 45 Commando, and describes in detail the role they played as a security force and how it felt to be waiting for action to unfold. Just eight weeks into his tour, Don stood on an IED during a routine patrol. He vividly recounts the moments that followed, the lightning-fast rescue operation that saved his life, and the multiple surgeries he underwent to save his damaged foot. Don shares his sincere appreciation for the exceptional rehab he received at Headley Court, and talks about achievements and ambitions in his new life beyond the military.

Born in 1931, Ronald George Yardley faced the hardships of wartime as a child. At 18, he joined the Navy, trained for six weeks at HMS Royal Arthur, and became a Wireless Telegraphist. He later served on HMS Belfast and was deployed to Korea. Ron remembers the immense cold as they journeyed closer to Korea, travelling through frozen seas. When the Belfast arrived in Korea the bombardment and involvement in the war started immediately. He remembers a sad moment when the ship’s water pipes burst after being hit by enemy fire, scalding a soldier to death. Ron also recalls two marines who died on a mission, their bodies never recovered. Ron recounts a heartfelt moment when a young orphan from his mess deck, who never received letters, asked if Ron could read some of his own to help him feel connected to life back home. After leaving HMS Belfast, Ron was posted to HMS Royal Prince in Germany, where he carried out exercises on Hermann Goering’s luxury yacht. He remains deeply thankful to the South Koreans for funding the National Korean War Memorial, a place he proudly takes his grandchildren to.