Originating from a military background, Mary knew she wanted to join the army and officially signed in 1978 when she left school. After excelling in her assessments, she chose to join the Royal Army Pay Corps knowing that they had bases all over the world. Following her initial training at Guildford, Mary was posted to Brighton where she worked on translating army promotions into symbols in order for occurrences to be coded into computer systems. She was then moved to Krefeld in Germany and placed in a pay team with two other RAPC individuals. She remembers her time in Germany as the moment in which she, like many others, became aware of the IRA threats and realities of life in the army. Having joined the WRAC towards the end of the 1970s, Mary reflects on the changing nature of women's roles and remembers the introduction of weapon training. She describes the extensive NBC training in Krefeld, in particular 'Active Edge' exercises which were intended to mimic Russian invasion. Mary describes the relationship between technological development and pay duties, and her developing awareness of the discrepancy in pay. With the disbandment of the WRAC she went for commission and became the only female RAPC. Her interview is an inspiring and authentic account of one of the many trailblazing women who broke the system.

John Aitken’s military service began after WWII with the Gordon Highlanders in Aberdeen before he moved on to Sandhurst where, in addition to his officer training, he learnt French, Russian, meteorology, maths and physics. In 1949 John was sent to Wunstorf in Germany to work within air dispatch operations for the Berlin Airlift. In his interview, John shares memories of barrack life adjacent to the runway, recalling how the rooms used to shake every minute as another fully laden converted bomber took off, and gives an interesting insight into how supplies were coordinated and transported. He also talks about some of the loads he used to fly into Berlin, and the friendly competition between the Americans and the British to see who could load their Dakotas more quickly; but unfortunately, as the competition got more intense, so did the risks. John paints a vivid picture of the city of Berlin both during the Airlift and several years later when he returned after a stint serving in the Middle East, with clear memories of his horror at the devastation left by WWII and later the striking divide between east and west.