George Reynolds tells the story of his military career, where each memory is as engrossing as the next. Following in his father’s footsteps, George enlisted in the army in 1937. Not long after, in 1939, he was off to India, where he had become both a stand out signaller and a skilled equestrian.   By 1941, his regiment found themselves embroiled in battle against the invading Japanese army. Troubling times followed; the Japanese succeeded in their occupation, George among the 80,000 taken as POW.   He was first put to work in a Singapore prison, where he detailed his starved but tanned condition, a result of outdoor work. After being shipped off to Taiwan in 1942, George recalls his torturous experience in a copper mine, where he faced the threat of beatings, malnutrition, and sickly skin, all at a level he had never seen before.  I’m sure you’ve gone through a roller coaster of emotions engaging with George’s story, but he closes on a powerful note. Following his liberation by the American Navy in 1945, George was plunged into a moral dilemma – how was he supposed to feel about the people who had hurt him?   To hate them, he says, was akin to a “cancer eating away at him”. At once, there and then, he decided to “forgive but not forget”. This ultimately underlines the hardiness and determination of a soldier, who, after seven long years away from home, was favoured to live to tell the tale. 

As a Junior Cadet, Godfrey just knew he wanted to be a soldier. Godfrey was born in Leicester, but schooled in Derby during World War Two. He enrolled at the Sandhurst Military Academy, aged 18. After Sandhurst, Godfrey became a Commissioned Officer in the Royal Leicestershire Regiment and was posted to Hong Kong. Aged 20, Godfrey was training in anticipation for Korea. In Busan, Godfrey recounts seeing casualties coming down from Maryang-san hill and how he wanted to do something. On November 5th 1951, Godfrey joined efforts to retake Maryang-San. He recalls the terrifying shelling and how his small platoon held and were relived from a small hill called "Italy". Godfrey recalls how he found out that the Chinese army took "Italy", and most of the platoon posted there. He also fondly remembers the Northumberland Fusiliers. After the Maryang-san battle, Godfrey was mostly on patrol and he recalls stepping on a mine and his logistical and personal journey to recovery. Godfrey took medical retirement after seven more years' service, never fulfilling his dream to command his Leicester regiment. Reflecting on Korea, Godfrey would not have missed it for the world and he will never forget those who served in it.

At only seventeen years of age, Lieann joined the WRAC so she could travel and see the world. Lieann describes working hard at Guildford and her amazement at the rate in which young women transformed into soldiers within only six weeks. After excelling in her aptitude tests she was posted to Catterick to train as a data telegraphist. Lieann discusses developments in technology and the transition to computers in 1989. She also describes the introduction of weapons training across WRAC trades, and how she could feel the change happening within the female corps. During her time in communications, Lieann was posted to the nuclear bunker in Wilton and recalls the enhanced security measures in place during Cold War exercises. She was then posted to the Falklands and later Cyprus where she re-badged with the Royal Signals. At this point the WRAC had been disbanded and Lieann permanently signed on to the ninth Signal Regiment. During her time in Cyprus she fell pregnant and continued to serve until her last few weeks. She was one of the first women to serve in the army whilst pregnant, and although this marked an important moment in military history - Lieann describes the lack of emotional, financial and even uniform support offered to her during her pregnancy. A woman who truly pushed boundaries, we thank Lieann for her brilliant interview and her candour surrounding women's experiences within the WRAC.