Jim Grundy tells of his memories from his service during the Korean War. From humble beginnings in Eccles, Lancashire to the perils of Korea, between Busan and Daegu. Born into a poor family, the early years of Jim’s life were difficult and he was glad to join the army as part of the Army Catering Corps. He adjusted to army life well, after the struggles of initial training, which he recalls and in 1949 was sent to Aldershot – his first time leaving Lancashire, before being stationed at Rhyl. It was here that the army discovered that he had trained previously as an undertaker; he was assigned a very special job and dispatched to Korea, to work as a body hunter. Jim describes his first impressions of arriving in a new country and the amicable relationship between British troops and Koreans. He talks with pride about the work done by the small group of five unarmed men, of which he was a part; who worked closely together, helped each other and established a close bond.  The work was emotionally testing, the conditions horrendous. Particular emphasis is given to the appreciation these men received, despite not being on the front line. An arm injury from an incendiary shot, put an end to Jim’s time in the Korean war and allowed him to return home. Jim’s story is one of fortitude and friendship in a heartbreaking job.

From a young age Katherine knew she wanted to travel and when offered the opportunity to join the Royal Corps of Transport, she signed with the army. At nineteen she left for Guildford and speaks fondly of her time at the training base, in particular her passing out parade which she describes as an incredibly surreal experience. Although her trade training was postponed due to the Mill Hill Bombing in 1988, she soon became part of the team at Bovington Training Centre that drove new officers fresh from Sandhurst who were on their Tactical Exercise Without Troops (TEWT) training. Later she was moved to Rheindahlen 68 Squadron where she met different soldiers from the UN and NATO and remembers this as the best tour she served whilst in the army. During this tour she witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall and contributed to the peacekeeping duties in Czechoslovakia. In 1991 Katherine recalls troops being sent to Iraq and the importance of her work behind the front lines in the rear party. She provides great detail of one particular mission which developed from an initial twenty-four hour drive to an almost three week task of shipping ammunition to the Gulf. From here she was posted to Northern Ireland where she worked as both a driver and searcher for IRA bombs. Following the disbandment of the WRAC Katherine returned to work in Germany with the onset of the Bosnian war, and worked as a driver until she left in 1995. Katherine's interview offers an insightful overview of different experiences of WRAC women and gives an authentic account of the many adversities women faced in the army.