Louis Davies grew up on music and a family legacy of military service. It was thus a natural path for him to enrol in the military at the age of sixteen, with the dream of being in a military band. Louis describes the process of auditioning for and training at Kneller Hall (then the Royal Military School of Music). Louis speaks with great pride about the legacy and global renown of Kneller Hall, recalling some of the powerful and touching performances he was part of while studying there. After over three years at Kneller Hall, Louis transferred to the Navy as a Royal Marines Bugler. He continued to pursue his dream of being a full-time musician in the military until ultimately leaving to take care of his family.

On the 6th May 1943, George French joined the 2nd Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps and trained in York before travelling to Southampton when he set off to land on Juno beach on D+3. In this interview, he shares the stories of his first day arriving on the mine-covered, chaotic beaches and the triumph of covering nearly 80 miles on the way to Caen to close the Falaise gap. George tells how he had a "shoot and ask questions later" approach as he was a young man learning the horrors of war, even if at first it felt like an adventure. After sadly losing many friends that he had trained with, he was amongst the lucky 3 left surviving out his 30-man battalion. Until he is no longer able to, he ensures to attend ceremonies commemorating the fallen and continues to reminisce on the strong bonds that they had built together. George reflects on the tough memories of his time as a soldier seeing those you know die and feeling as if you could have saved others. Despite being an upsetting account, George's stoic manner and ease at storytelling allows for an interesting interview.

Lance Corporal Mike Mogridge, a Royal Fusilier recounts his childhood growing up during WWII. Later in life, he signed up for National Service, where he met Ronnie and Reggie Kray, bonding over their shared love of boxing. Mike was sent to Korea with the Fusiliers, arriving in Pusan. Following a rest period, Mike and his battalion were sent to the frontline of The Battle of the Hook. This was a bloody conflict between Chinese and UN forces. During his time there, Mike remembers the bodies piling up eight feet high and the horrific smell. Mike recalls a time when his scouting party was ambushed, and luckily, friendly mortar fire drove the Chinese back. Assumed dead, they were discovered alive by a patrol. Mike humorously remembers walking into the Sergeant’s tent and being greeted with, “Oh, I thought you were dead, fancy a cup of tea?”. On his journey home from Korea, Mike shared a troopship with a Dorset regiment officer who, mistaking him for dead, expressed his regret. Told to turn around, the officer found Mike alive, apologising for not being dead. After National Service, Mike became SSAFA branch secretary.