Fred Gardiner sat with his companion on the rear floor of a military aircraft, flying low over the English Channel. Below them, he could see Brighton with great visibility. Missing in action for 5 weeks, Fred looked down at his grandmother’s house, recalling she would have no idea whether or not he was alive. Born in Banbury in 1923, Fred Gardiner volunteered for the Royal Air Force after war broke out, not wishing to be drafted into the army. He trained as a wireless operator air gunner. With his fellow squadron, Fred completed 4 successful military operations on the Lancaster. His 5th operation was to Manheim, Germany. On route, Fred’s aircraft, the Lancaster was hit by a Messerschmitt Bf 110, a German fighter-bomber, where Fred recounts horrific moments of shells, bullets and deafening noise. The aircraft caught fire, and Fred knew he had to evacuate imminently. After releasing the bomb from the aircraft, Fred escaped through the rear and made his exit, parachuting through the night sky. He landed with no shoes, socks and no clue what country he was in. After spending the night, Fred came across a man in a horse and cart. Fred surrendered, with the man escorting him to safety, beginning his dangerous adventure back to the UK: hiding in ditches, encounters with resistance members, near-misses with armed German soldiers, escorted by bicycle, car, on foot, and through the day and night. Fred’s story is a fascinating testimony, revealing how incredibly fortunate he was to survive, both in the air, and in his subsequent escape. By circumstance, it makes Legasee feel lucky to have his memories to share.

Content warning// This interview contains discussions of sensitive topics such as PTSD, suicidal thoughts and vivid flashback description which some viewers may find distressing. If you are affected by these topics, please consider seeking support from a trusted person or organisation.   Kate was training to be a nurse with the RAF when she met her husband-to-be, John, an RAF Police Officer. They both completed tours of Iraq and John went on to complete one more and also two tours of Afghanistan. Each time John returned, Kate started to notice slight differences in his character, such as an increase in drinking and frequent nightmares. She was grateful of both her RAF and medical training as it helped her understand the mental shift between home and work that John was having to manage. John sought help but was told there was nothing medically wrong and he was to carry on as usual, which he did. It was the birth of their son that Kate thinks caused John’s nightmares and flashbacks to intensify. He sought help again and this time was diagnosed with severe PTSD and signed off work, but without his job to provide a sense of purpose John struggled to function. John tried both CBT and EMDR therapies but Kate feels they both made the situation worse. John is now on a medication pathway. Kate describes this as an incredibly isolating time as no one knew what she was going through. She felt she could hardly leave John alone, especially when he started having suicidal thoughts. However, when she joined Band of Sisters she found a supportive group of women with shared experiences. She even managed to attend a weekend away which really helped her realise how stressed she was. She describes finding Band of Sisters as a real turning point which helped her realise she needed to take care of herself too. John has also found help through Help for Heroes and has attended a few courses and is now a qualified bushcraft and survival instructor. John has recently had a cancer diagnosis and Kate reflects that, sadly, the cancer process has been much smoother than the PTSD. Kate feels it is incredibly important for others to hear their story so they know they are not alone. She is even compiling a book.

Geoffrey Wellum discusses his nail-biting experience flying into battle in Malta - with no bullets. The story begins at Biggin Hill station, where Geoffrey began the deadly RAF training; during this time, Geoffrey would take his 'first spin' in a Harvard training plane (an American design first requested by Britain's RAF in 1938 during WWII). In the interview, Geoffrey shares his experiences of the rigorous and often life threatening training exercises: "Three people died during training but you can never think it'll be you ... if you let your imagination run away with you, you may as well pack it in." Upon arrival in Malta, Geoffrey was shocked to see the bullets being removed from his plane in preparation for take off. The reason for this was to reduce the weight and therefore the fuel consumption of the Spitfire, to hopefully give the RAF an edge against the infamous Luftwaffe. However, before even taking flight, Geoffrey found his worst enemy to be the desperately humid climate of Malta,  after suffering through severe headaches and problems with his sight, it was deduced that Geoffrey had an issue with his sinus and was promptly rushed to hospital to have a hole drilled into his head to relieve the pressure while flying. Finally, during the battle itself, the fear of invasion felt incredibly real, so Geoffrey fought hard to defend his country from the Luftwaffe forces. Needless 'point scoring' and 'shots landed' were of little importance to Geoffrey as he focussed on protecting both his country and his fellow pilots - the thought of defeat never once entered his mind. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in 1941 in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy.