Tom Renouf’s journey from infantry recruit to seasoned corporal with a Military Medal began with basic training and the preparations for deploying to France just after D-Day. On 30 June he joined his battalion as a casualty replacement, and went from boy to man during his baptism of fire at Rauray next day. Apart from a brief period recovering from a wound, he served continuously in the front line through France, Holland and the Rhine crossing to the final surrender in Germany. He focuses on some of the more personal aspects: how first battle experiences turned replacements into veterans, heavy casualties epitomised by the small number of soldiers who mustered next day, the different ways each man coped with danger. He recalls, during his first action in command, how he had to lead his section from the front to earn their respect. A recurrent theme is how the corporals, sergeants and sergeant major led from the front in battle and ensured the men’s welfare throughout the campaign.

Gerald “Gerry” Farmer grew up in East London and briefly experienced evacuation during the Second World War before returning home. At 18 he was called up for National Service and, by December 1951, found himself conscripted to the Korean War.

In his interview, Gerry recalls the long journey to Korea with the Royal Fusiliers, his responsibilities on Hill 159, and the brutal reality of the Battle of the Hook. He tells of saving the life of a Korean soldier, being wounded by shrapnel, and the lasting memories of those who did not survive. His return to Korea in 1981 stirred powerful emotions, contrasting the devastation he remembered with the rebuilt country he saw.

Gerry also offers candid reflections on the war itself: the harsh weather, unsuitable equipment, the disparity in pay between national forces, and his doubts about why they were really fighting. Amidst these hard truths, he shares lighter moments — camaraderie with Australian soldiers, a first taste of Jack Daniels, and even an encounter with Michael Caine.

His story is one of hardship, humour, and honesty about a conflict too often forgotten.

Eric was conscripted into the army at age 18 and was assigned to the Royal Armoured Corps. He trained on a flail tank, which cleared mines, in readiness for the Normandy invasion. They landed on D-Day with his tank driving through shallow water, clearing mines as it went and supporting Canadian infantry. During the action he realised his shoulder was wet with blood. His commanding officer, above him in the tank, had been wounded. Eric helped him out of the tank and the officer was picked up by the medical corps. The remainder of the crew realised that their rations for five would now go further as there were only four of them! While mine clearing they drove very slowly with a good view of the carnage taking place during which his attitude was one of self-preservation and ‘Thank God it wasn’t me’. Later, in Germany, he was ordered to machine gun farmhouses in case they housed enemy troops when a young mother holding a toddler ran out. She jumped into a trench and the child survived but the mother died after being hit by their gun fire. Eric is still upset by this as it was probably his gunnery and thinks about it now, speculating on how old the woman would be if she had lived. He served the entire campaign in western Europe and was later sent to Palestine during the Zionist insurrection. He considers himself to have had the luck of the proverbial cat with nine lives.