Jenni’s Partner Dan served in the army as a Royal Engineer in Bosnia and Iraq before working in Afghanistan in a civilian role. He would later be diagnosed with complex PTSD and struggle to access the right support. Jenni explains how this has effected their relationship, and how Help for Heroes' Band of Sisters supported her when she needed it most.

In his youth, Martyn was an army cadet and in the territorials but didn’t land a commission. Instead he went into hotel work which then led to cruise ships. He started out as assistant purser and in the 1980s was onboard the SS Uganda which Martyn calls the “naughty boys ship” because it was full of rogues! They were being used by schools as an educational ship and were at Egypt when they were requisitioned for the Falklands. It was a nerve wracking journey to Naples at night and avoiding the wrecks from the Six Day War. There the children and passengers disembarked, military personnel boarded and the ship was kitted out as a floating hospital. Martyn recalls in detail the total transformation the ship underwent. To start with, the journey south felt like an adventure and morale was high, they had the Royal Marine Band onboard who helped meld together the Merchant and Royal Navy, but reality hit home when they heard about the sinking of HMS Sheffield and the General Belgrano. One of the biggest challenges they faced was ensuring water supply and their priority upon arrival became engineering this. Meanwhile, Martyn became a stretcher bearer on top of his other responsibilities as well as volunteering to help in the hospital wards. He recalls some of the casualties who came his way, including three men he knew from his days in the TA. Of all the casualties who came on board, only three died. Martyn also vividly recalls coming incredibly close to two Phantom jets and their ship unwittingly sailing through a minefield, thankfully without damage. Upon return, it was Martyn’s responsibility to look after the supply of souvenirs. He was based on his own in the Matron’s office which meant he couldn’t see the welcome home fanfare. Eventually, sure he was missing out, he abandoned the souvenirs to find his family! Martyn says he wouldn’t wear his medal for a long time because he didn’t directly experience the war but a captain told him to wear it with pride, if it hadn’t been for the support of vessels like the Uganda they would not have succeeded.

As an evacuee, Frances McLaren was unable to go to university after leaving school at 18. Instead, on the advice of a friend’s father, she joined the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment, and so began her remarkable career. After completing her training, Frances started off in the lab, working on the development of hull launching tanks on seaplanes and landplanes, before progressing to flight tests in the Sunderland flying boats. Her career went from strength to strength and she talks in detail about her central role in one of Britain’s greatest bombing missions, the Dambusters Raid, and her work on the top-secret Highball (bouncing bomb) experiments. Frances was also involved in other experimental projects including those focused on survival, with one in particular being the development of flotation devices for planes ditching in water. She recalls with humour how she had to cajole others into joining her on some of her test missions. Frances’ extraordinary story provides an eye-opening insight into the myriad ways women played an active role in the war effort, sometimes at the cutting edge of innovation and development.