Starting as a Bevin Boy, Alan Hewett, struggled to settle down after being demobbed. Determined to follow his dream, Alan joined the RAF. Originally stationed at RAF Melksham, Alan met his future wife, Eve. Later he was sent to North Luffenham, working as a mechanical engineer, Alan replaced Dakota aeroplane engines during the Berlin Airlift. Although RAF Luffenham wasn’t a very social place, Alan reflects on how his downtime was spent there. After serving as an instructor at Melksham and on tour in Iraq, Alan was meant to be demobbed. Instead he took a job at RAF Crawley, building the De Havilland Comet 2 flight simulator. At RAF Little Rissington, Alan became the chief in charge of simulators for the NATS, which later became the Red Arrows. Lastly, Alan reflects on the independence and self-reliance that his time spent in the RAF taught him. He details how his 22 years of service shaped his confidence, work ethic, and even his marriage, affording him with an overall ‘great life’.

In the initial stages of his interview, Fred retells the story of his younger years which led him to join the parachute regiment with the onset of war. He describes his disillusionment with the accustomed tactics of Western-front warfare, and his desire to join a new regiment where everyone chose to be there. Fred recalls the difficulty of training, and the seemingly impossible tasking of jumping from the planes. Describing his landing in Normandy in June 1944, Fred discloses that not only was he seriously injured on arrival but was also taken as a prisoner of war. In August, the opportunity to escape arose and Fred fled to Paris. Although the majority of his interview highlights Fred's enjoyment, then and now, of being a Para, it also showcases the emotional trauma that resides in those who fought in the war. In reflecting on his experience of patrol in the Ardennes, Fred describes the transformative power of war and its ability to turn men into killers. His account provides a thoughtful and emotional insight into the experiences of parachute regiments in the Second World War.

After losing his job at a timber yard Clifford joined the RAF just before the conscription age of eighteen. When he had completed his training, he was posted to Gatow in Germany, the main British airfield, at the start of the Airlift in June 1948. He was a clerical worker, ensuring the safe and rapid turnaround of hundreds of flights, as well as performing guard duty and manual work. During the Airlift disassembled vehicles and food were delivered and on the return journey they brought back sick children and post, which was forwarded. There were large numbers of Germans working on the base, alongside the RAF personnel and during the Airlift the western Allies began to be seen as defenders, rather than occupiers. He remembers the appreciation of German children and parents when he and his comrades gave the children a Christmas party on the base. The British troops paid for this and gave gifts of chocolate bars and oranges to the youngsters. In Berlin he acquired an appreciation of opera, made good friends and had a German girlfriend. Marrying German women however was frowned on by the British authorities. One episode he recalls vividly is getting very drunk on his 21^st birthday and being disciplined by his superior officer. Clifford felt that he matured from a boy to a man during his time in Berlin and was sad to leave. Some of his companions thought that the Germans deserved all they got but that was not his opinion.