On his 18th birthday in 1943, Fred Bailey joined up with the Royal Armoured Corps and passed out as a radio operator gunner. After a short stint in the 13th Battalion of the Green Howards, he volunteered for a Balkans mission with the Jedburghs which first required him to learn the art of parachute jumping. Fred’s memories bring vividly to life what it was like to operate amongst occupying forces, and how difficult it could be to keep the different groups of resistance fighters working together. He also shares eye-opening details of the parachute jumps he undertook, including one that dropped him from 1,000 meters higher than planned! After France, the Jedburghs became part of Force 136 and headed to Burma where the action became altogether more intense, and Fred talks about the difficulties of operating in the jungle. Finally, he reflects on the strong bond that formed between the Jeds: a fitting way to end a fascinating interview about a remarkable time.

Collin Parker details his experience with PTSD as well as his tragic fall from invincible Coldstream Guard to being left for dead in the Middle East. Slaving away day after day at his foundry job pushed Collin to actualise his childhood infatuation with the Armed Forces and join the Coldstream Guards. This particular regiment had a violent and prideful reputation due to moulding their recruits to feel like nothing could hurt them, something Collin experienced first hand.  Collin initially found it exciting to be on the battlefield until he was surrounded by Middle Eastern tribals and gravely injured by their mortar fire, the two teenagers soldiers under his command at the time not making it. Laying in the crater thinking about his family one last time Collin was fully convinced he had died but miraculously he survived.  After the attack Collin had to relearn how to walk and talk and was then medically discharged and forced to deal with his new found PTSD alone. Having to accept that the army viewed him as expendable was extremely difficult for Collin; he felt so small and powerless after being discharged, he had lost everything and they did not care. Due to the way the Coldstream Guard trained him Collin never believed he would suffer from PTSD but now he was stuck constantly relieving the stress and fear from that day over and over. 

Kay Wingate joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) at 19, inspired by her father, who had previously served in the army. Originally from Essex, her military career took her to the Isle of Man, where she trained as a member of the top-secret Y service, listening in to German military wireless signals. After learning how to decipher Morse code, she was then stationed in Harrogate as a wireless operative. Kay recalls she had ‘no aptitude’ for Morse and had to learn it from scratch. Despite this challenge, she surpassed the speed of 18 words per minute, a skill which offered her better pay. Some of the messages that the ATS decoded were sent to Bletchley Park. Having signed the Secrets Act, she wasn’t able to tell a soul about her work. She was released from service in 1946. Kay looks back on her time with the ATS with fond memories, which saw the forging of lifelong friendships. While she never saw combat, her interview offers an important insight into the day-to-day operations of those involved in the Secret War, in addition to the vital work carried out by the women’s branch of the British Army.