Alan reflects on his extensive career as a euphonium player in the military band, which began at age 16 when he auditioned for the army band, driven by his lifelong love of music. He fondly recalls his time at Kneller Hall, which he describes as the historic home of military music and his experiences performing for the community on numerous occasions. In 1972, his band's single of Amazing Grace became number one in the charts, and they were invited to tour Australia. Alan also toured extensively across America and Europe, including a visit to St. Petersburg in Rome, where his band was invited to breakfast with Pope John Paul II and performed for President Reagan at the White House. In 1977, a particularly busy year, the band played at numerous royal engagements, including at Buckingham Palace, where Alan met the Queen. He recounts his deployment to the Gulf in 1990, where he served as a medic, treating many casualties and the band kept the soldiers' spirits high by organising a Christmas concert. Alan highlights the emotional challenges band members faced during and after the Gulf War, particularly with limited support.

Born into a military family, John begins by talking about his life as a boy during the Second World War. John left school at fourteen, moving from one job to the other until he joined the Army Apprentice School. Here, he continued his education while training as a mechanic. Afterwards, he underwent his basic training as a mechanic in Arborfield, Berkshire, before joining the Royal Electrical and Medical Engineers (REME) as a craftsman. After a series of injections, John, now nineteen, was kitted out, ready to be sent to Korea, a place he had never heard of before. First, the 121 REME’s were sent to the Reinforcement Base Depot in Japan to train for the Korean terrain. However, John sustained a knee injury playing football with his comrades, causing him to spend three more weeks in Japan recovering. When reunited with his mates in Pusan, South Korea, John recalls his shock at seeing the ‘horrendous’ conditions that people lived in. John’s first assignment was at an American airbase on Koji Island, repairing vehicles, later travelling to Seoul and the Yong Dong Po. During this time, his boss was Dutchie Holland, a man John speaks very fondly about, describing him as a father to the men. John talks about the charge sheets he used to receive, most often for carrying too many vehicles in at the same time, as well as recalling the harsh extremes of conditions in the workshop, both bitterly cold and boiling hot. In his time in Korea, John serviced lots of vehicles, including mobile bakeries, laundry vehicles, and k2 ambulances, as well as a Centurion tank that had been blown up, which was not a pleasant experience to work on. John talks of what Christmas day was like as a soldier, the time off, the gift of rum, and the food eaten. After returning to England on HMT Dunera, John was told that he had earned himself some stripes, a moment he was incredibly proud of. Thank you for such a fascinating interview John.