Geoff Holland offers an insightful picture of his service in the British Royal Artillery during the Korean War. At the age of eighteen he was already working in trade as an apprentice joiner in Manchester which delayed his enlistment into National Service until 1950 on his 21st birthday. Following his army training at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, he was sent to Hong Kong to continue in preparation for Korea. Unfortunately, it was during this period when he received a letter from his fiancée, saying they were breaking up. Soon after, the regiment sailed to Pusan aboard the Empire Orwell (an ex-German liner). Upon arrival, he recalls many unpleasantries on his way to camp. From the scent of human excrement in the paddy fields (putting him off rice) to a turbulent trip on a rattle train with repulsive conditions. His main duties in Korea consisted of carrying ammunition and operating 4-inch mortars which were used to assist the infantry in their push against the Chinese and North Koreans. As a soldier who received limited information, Geoff remained oblivious to certain things such as the exact location of the British infantry despite needing to know the position and range of a mortar before firing. The regiment was fighting in the Battle of the Hook but at the time, Geoff was unaware regarding the significance of his location. He recalls the foulness of his living conditions; no showers or sanitation, facing swarms of rats in the winter followed by the threat of disease by mosquitos in the summer and the constant banging of artillery above. However, he managed to show practicality by improving the warmth of his bed, using newspapers received from his mother for insulation. Many figures stood out in his memory from Korean troops who helped with carrying ammunition and cleaning clothes to a young Scotsman who struggled mentally after his girlfriend had left him. Despite the adversity he faced, Geoff enjoyed his time in Korea despite speaking little of it and though he received no welcome ceremony upon his return to England, in the years that followed he remembers meeting former infantry men from the war who thanked soldiers like him graciously for their support. Geoff's interview discloses the substantial contributions of those serving in the Royal Artillery who lived in the dark while supporting the infantry and reveals the tragedy of personal relationships that befell those who were sent far away to serve in the Korean War.

Ronald Arnold joined the Home Guard in 1940 aged 16, before joining the regular army in 1942 (Middlesex Regiment) and serving in Normandy. As a wartime teenager, he felt a strong sense of duty and urgency, with most people somehow contributing to the war effort. He provides a fascinating insight into wartime Britain: working as a machinist by day, basic Home Guard training from First World War veterans, learning to use sticky bombs, standing guard at night and vigilance against German parachutists. His reminiscences on wartime Britain continue after he joined the army: the harshness of the conditions, training exercises across the countryside, navigating through Southern England a dispatch rider with minimal resources and relying on army units for fuel and food. His unit landed in Normandy later in June as a support unit for 43rd Wessex Brigade. He recalls the ever-present fear of enemy artillery and nebelwerfer rockets, which had a significant psychological impact. After being injured, he was evacuated for medical treatment and struggled with feelings of guilt for leaving his comrades.

In 1942, Fred undertook 16 weeks of infantry training in Reading, joining the fifth battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment. He was first sent to Marlborough in Suffolk to undertake beach defence, but after the Germans did not land there, he was reassigned to Scotland to train in a beach group for the Normandy landings alongside a Canadian division. He trained in small assault craft out to sea and undertook extensive training in handling different cargo and rope tying, becoming an experienced stevedore, a loader and unloader of ships. Fred was next stationed near Waterlooville for further training, before going to Southampton Number 1 dock to sail for Normandy with many other ships. He describes being caught in a storm and sheltering in Calshot before being allowed to leave the harbour. Fred describes the chaos and noise of the gun battles and shell fire of the Normandy landings. Whilst there he manned a Bren gun that he was proud to have never left during Operation Overlord. Fred unloaded thousands upon thousands of cargo, including barbed wire, rations and other essential supplies, sometimes standing in four foot of water. At the same time, he was also helped to move prisoners, casualties and many bodies from the beach after joining the Forth Wiltshire Regiments platoon. Fred describes being wounded and the nightmares he suffered with but also reflects on the importance of his regiment mates for team moral during and after the war.