Eric Coombes was born in Hertfordshire, in a little village named Shenley, just outside of London. As a boy, he remembers seeing London on fire after it was bombed during World War II. When he turned 18 years old he was called up for national service and was sent to Blenheim Camp, St Edmunds, for six weeks of basic training. After that, he continued his training for 10 weeks in the Royal Norfolk regiment. After training, he was deployed to Korea; Eric was really excited for his deployment, as it gave him the chance to travel the world for the first time. He remembers the crossing going well, he kept himself occupied with bingo, exercising, and at times, going ashore for a couple of hours when the ship pulled into port. Once landing in Hong Kong, they were put through a stiff training routine, learning how to use mortars and other weaponry. His regiment was then sent on its way to Pusan, Korea. On the way into Korea, Eric remembers the sound of heavy artillery fire not far away from where he was. When he arrived in Pusan, he had a couple of days to get comfortable before he started working. Eric’s role was mortar support, he recalls the very detailed way in which mortars work and how he used his training to operate them. His first experience with loss came when two of the people he signed up with were killed whilst on patrol, he remembers this being a very sad time. On another occasion, Eric remembers hearing about a company of soldiers being captured whilst on patrol. At the time he hoped they were captured by the Chinese, as stories spread about how horrible the Korean prison camps were. For Eric, the scariest time was being mortared whilst in a valley, his platoon had to quickly fall back whilst mortars were being dropped behind them. Eric wishes there could be no wars and talks about the tragic loss of life for both sides. He left Korea in September 1952.

Raised in the garrison town of Colchester, Maisie enlisted in 2002 after earning her music degree. She trained at Kneller Hall before joining the band of the Parachute Regiment. As a trumpet player, Maisie describes the immense pressure of performing The Last Post at commemorations and funerals. Maisie served in Iraq in 2004, stationed in Basra, and Afghanistan in 2010-2011. She notes the unique experience of being one of the few women in a male-dominated environment during these conflicts. She also describes the various roles of the band in an active war zone, in addition to sustaining morale. After almost a decade of service, Maisie left the army in 2011. She recounts many of the incredible events she performed at, and expresses how difficult it was to leave that identity behind when returning to civilian life.

Born in Manchester and raised in foster care, John Clarke became an apprentice at sixteen before joining The Black Watch, following in his grandfather’s footsteps. After training in Scotland as part of the 6th Battalion, he was deployed to Tunisia, where he fought at Sidi Medienne and helped rescue wounded prisoners from an enemy ship—a highlight of his service. He later trained in Cairo, before being stationed high up the Aurunci Mountains in Italy with the British division in the American 5th Army. John joined the 12th Brigade in Cassino and remembers the chaos around Monte Cassino monastery, the heavy casualties, and the many acts of bravery. Post-war, he joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, managing the armoury in Gaza. John reflects on his military career, recalling memorable moments including meeting Winston Churchill. For John, the friends he made during the war became the family he never had growing up.