Harriet Wight was living in the countryside in North East Scotland at the outbreak of war and recalls seeing an enemy aircraft drop a bomb over Aberdeen. It was then she decided ‘to do her bit’ and joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS). After a medical in Dundee she did her initial basic training at Balloch on the edge of Loch Lomond and began her duties as a messenger. She was eventually posted to Ilfracombe in Devon as a signaller and was involved in taking and logging signals which at that time mainly related to noting casualties from the North African campaign in 1943. Harriet moved on to operating telephone switchboards after a period of training and was posted to Hatston on the Orkneys, close to the vital naval base of Scapa Flow. Harriet spoke of meeting her future husband, who was a sailor involved in Arctic and Atlantic convoys, and how she never concerned about the danger he was in until she found out that an American soldier pen-friend of hers had been killed in Belgium and then the reality of war hit home. Harriet concluded by saying how very proud she was of having been a Wren. 

David comes from a military background, his father and two older brothers served during WWII. He enlisted into the Navy in 1949 for seven years. He recounts a year of arduous basic training, which carried the risk of being “back-squadded” for failing. Although tough, David valued his training and was determined to succeed. Gaining the green beret was the proudest moment of David’s life. He began active duty in Korea, defending Wonson Harbour on Yodo Island in 4-1 commandos. He manned the heavy artillery, working alongside American counterparts to defend the island from enemy incursions. This also involved raids to disable strategic infrastructure. He enjoyed the opportunities for R&R in Japan and spent time there after peace was declared. David returned to the UK, following which he spent 3-month tours of duty in many areas including the Caribbean, often in guard duty roles on-board ship. David recounts happy memories of this time. Finally, David was stationed first in Malta, in charge of weapons stores and then in a similar role in Cyprus during the struggle for independence. It was while on duty that David was suddenly told to leave as his 7 years were up.

After serving in the Home Guard and experiencing bombing in the blitz in London, Cornelius Snelling was conscripted into the Royal Navy in 1942 and carried out his basic training on HMS Ganges at Shotley. From his port division, Chatham, he was assigned his first posting, as a Bosun’s mate, to a newly commissioned ship docked at Glasgow, HMS Wild Goose, a Black Swan-class sloop. HMS Wild Goose specialised in anti-submarine patrols in the North Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay and Snelling took part in some of the ship's most notable actions, including the renowned "six in one trip" in 1943, which saw HMS Wild Goose, alongside other Bird-class sloops, sink six German U-boats in a single patrol. Snelling’s final journey aboard HMS Wild Goose was participating in an Arctic convoy to Murmansk and he describes the extreme conditions. In 1944, Snelling transferred to HMS Tyler, an American-built frigate on loan to the Royal Navy. HMS Tyler conducted patrol and escort missions in the North Atlantic and the English Channel, where it also escorted landing craft and supply ships during the D-Day invasion of the Normandy beaches. Snelling's service concluded in October 1945 when he steamed with HMS Tyler back to the United States, where the ship was returned to the US Navy.