Stephen Murtagh joined the Army at 16, determined to build a better future for himself. Serving with 5 Rifles, he trained as an infantryman before becoming a dog handler – a role that saw him forge a powerful bond with his military working dog, Chance. Together they trained in Germany and the United States before deploying to Afghanistan, where Chance played a vital role on patrols searching for improvised explosive devices.

In his interview, Stephen shares vivid memories of Army life, from the camaraderie of training to the intensity of combat operations. He speaks openly about the day he was seriously injured by an IED, losing his leg at just 18 years old, and the remarkable determination that carried him through recovery.

Beyond his service, Stephen reflects on the challenges of adapting to life after injury, his battles with mental health, and his drive to support others through new work and ambitions. His story is one of resilience, honesty, and the unbreakable bond between a soldier and his dog.

In 1965, Len Tyler entered the Army as a Junior Bandsman. By the time he left in 1994, he was the Director of Music of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Len’s love of music may never have started without Leicestershire’s ‘radical’ music programme, which provided free instruments, music lessons, and weekly coach journeys to children who needed them. Before leaving school at 16, with little knowledge of what he wanted to do, he stumbled across an army information wagon. Little did Len know that the recruiter behind the counter was in-fact a sergeant from the 4th Royal Anglian Band. As a Junior Bandsman, Len's first posting to Malta was also his first time abroad, where he married a Maltese girl. When their son was later born with medical complications, Len became the first student on Kneller Hall's pupil's course to receive his own quarters - a wonderful three-bedroom house in Hounslow. Len had an exciting time as part of the 'Golden 8', made up of the top eight players on the course. Together, they performed at high profile events like the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. Later in 1992, as Director of Music of the REME, Len would also perform for the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, at the Royal Albert Hall, as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. When he was deployed to the First Gulf War, Len worked on helicopter landing sites. Reflecting on his experience of entering a war zone, in this interview Len recalls how musical people often struggle to become military people, however he luckily adapted well.

Rowena Patrick MBE trained at the WRAC College in Camberley and began her long military career in the WRAC in 1969 at the age of 23. Employed with the Royal Army Physical Training Corps at Aldershot and then Shrewsbury, Rowena was responsible for rewriting the then-outdated syllabus for women’s military training in the WRAC. As a keen mountaineer, Rowena’s new syllabus included adventurous survival training for both men and women, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and walking in all weather in the UK and abroad. In 1976, Rowena was posted as a grade 3 staff officer in the Ministry of Defence to the Directorate of Army Training in Guildford. During her career as an Army Major and Commanding Officer, Rowena worked alongside Wrens and members of the WRAF. Rowena remembers several IRA bombings that occurred in the 1970s and her experience with the SIB. Rowena also recalls, with pride and sadness, marching at Lord Louie Mountbatten’s state funeral in 1979. From then, for two and a quarter years, Rowena worked in Brunei for the Sultan of Brunei on loan service with the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment. Whilst in Brunei, Rowena carried out physical training, forming the Women's Army of Brunei. Back in England, in 1985, she became employed with the Royal Corps of Signals in Blanford. Rowena resigned from the WRAC in 1992. She went on to work for The Burma Star Association; in 2012, Rowena was awarded an MBE for her outstanding contribution and services to the veteran’s association.