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A veteran interview with

Len Tyler

Len provides a fab interview all of energy and entertainment. One can only imagine what it was like to play with so many other musicians. You can see him again in the Chase Bridge film where he had the pupils in the palm of his hand.

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About Len Tyler

In 1965, Len Tyler entered the Army as a Junior Bandsman. By the time he left in 1994, he was the Director of Music of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

Len’s love of music may never have started without Leicestershire’s ‘radical’ music programme, which provided free instruments, music lessons, and weekly coach journeys to children who needed them. Before leaving school at 16, with little knowledge of what he wanted to do, he stumbled across an army information wagon. Little did Len know that the recruiter behind the counter was in-fact a sergeant from the 4th Royal Anglian Band.

As a Junior Bandsman, Len’s first posting to Malta was also his first time abroad, where he married a Maltese girl. When their son was later born with medical complications, Len became the first student on Kneller Hall’s pupil’s course to receive his own quarters – a wonderful three-bedroom house in Hounslow.

Len had an exciting time as part of the ‘Golden 8’, made up of the top eight players on the course. Together, they performed at high profile events like the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. Later in 1992, as Director of Music of the REME, Len would also perform for the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, at the Royal Albert Hall, as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations.

When he was deployed to the First Gulf War, Len worked on helicopter landing sites. Reflecting on his experience of entering a war zone, in this interview Len recalls how musical people often struggle to become military people, however he luckily adapted well.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Toby Boddy

Transcripts:
Please note that transcripts and closed captions in the video player are automatically generated by Vimeo.

Copyright:
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Home | Veterans | Len Tyler

A veteran interview with

Len Tyler

Len-Tyler-scaled

Len provides a fab interview all of energy and entertainment. One can only imagine what it was like to play with so many other musicians. You can see him again in the Chase Bridge film where he had the pupils in the palm of his hand.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Tyler, Len. A Veteran Interview with Len Tyler. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/len-tyler/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.
APA Style:
Tyler, L. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Len Tyler [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/len-tyler/
Chicago Style:
Tyler, Len. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Len Tyler. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/len-tyler/
Harvard Style:
Tyler, L. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Len Tyler. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/len-tyler/ (Accessed: 11 October 2026)
Vancouver Style:
Tyler, L. A Veteran Interview with Len Tyler [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2026 Oct 11]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/len-tyler/
An interview with

Jenny Wing

Jenny describes her time as a dog and rider groom in the WRAC.

Jenny always knew she wanted to work with animals and in her interview discusses the journey that led her to becoming a rider groom with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. Growing up in Northern Rhodesia, she found the move difficult and initially struggled with army life. Once she had adapted to military life at Guildford, she remembers finding enjoyment in her specialised training and uniform. As a kennel maid, Jenny describes the different sections of dogs that were trained within the army and the limited dog-work available to women in the army. She recalls the lack of options for women and how much harder they had to work to progress into higher ranks, such as the horse stables. Once she had been promoted to the stables, she was placed in control of cavalry horses and breaking in wild horses for military use. She describes the difficulty of this job, along with its demanding hours and social restrictions. When asked to reflect on the WRAC Jenny states that she always felt part of a sisterhood, however, like many other female veterans resented the manner in which she was forced to leave on the condition of marriage and the restrictions placed on women in the army.
Photo Gallery icon 11 Photos
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

John Bowler

John Bowler was a 19-year old officer when he joined the Korean war. He gives an in-depth account of front-line fighting on the "Hook" ridge, Hill 355 and intense day and night-time raids and patrols. John also recounts how he won the Military Cross for his incredible bravery.

John was drafted into the Army and, upon becoming a commissioned officer in the Royal Welsh Regiment, chose Jamaica as his dream destination. Fate chose Folkstone's barracks for John instead. He explains how his strong relationship with his platoon commander, rugby and the British weather - but not its terrain - prepared them for Korea. John then fondly recounts travelling and being posted to Hong Kong in 1951, aged 19, and explains how "Tuffy" the goat mascot deeply affected Welsh servicemen's morale! Most men had never left Wales, so they brought Welsh hymns with them as they landed in Pusan. John recalls acclimatising to a country and people devastated by war. Posted on the "Hook" ridge frontline, John gives a colourful depiction of the British defensive positions and cooking with petrol. He recalls his first (very) close enemy contact and the Chinese army's professionalism. John fought fiercely on Hill 169. He explains what night-time fighting was like and how his company fought their way out of a Chinese encirclement. John poignantly reflects on how the love for his men often trumped his fear of death. John shares a heart-racing encounter with a numerically superior enemy and how British artillery helped them escape into no man's land. John explains how the unreliable Sten gun hindered their retreat and how an act of god saved his men. On another dreaded daylight patrol, John shares a heart-breaking memory of how a well-placed mortar killed two of his men. There were always two other enemies, the cold weather and hills, and John explains how they were fought. John's platoon was then posted to Hill 355. John recalls a night-time raid behind enemy lines and how his men kept their discipline under unimaginable terror, and how he won the Military cross. He also speaks of keeping his humanity during war. Korea gave John clarity on life's important things and a steadfast resilience to its challenges. He also got nightmares and a lifelong grief for his fallen men. John is testament to the British soldier's camaraderie, honesty and resilience in the face of unimaginable challenges.
Photo Gallery icon 5 Photos
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker