Colonel R.K. Montgomery shares his story as a British Army officer during World War II. Coming from a family with a strong military background, Montgomery joined the Royal Engineers in 1939. Early in the war, he faced the fast advance of German forces and had to pull back from France to England. His interest in explosives led him to join the Commandos, a special unit trained for tough missions. In his role he trained other Commandos in using explosives. His skills were crucial during the St. Nazaire Raid, a mission to destroy a key German port. During the raid, they completed their mission under heavy enemy fire but were eventually captured by German forces. Montgomery spent time as a prisoner of war in Oflag IX-A/H Spangenberg Germany. He faced many hardships but also showed great resilience to make it through his imprisonment. After the war, he continued his military service in Malaya, working in engineering roles. His story is a powerful example of bravery, skill, and dedication.

Stephen Weall served as a regular officer in the Royal Marines, retiring with the rank of Captain after a career that spanned active service, training, and senior logistical roles. His military life began in 1962, following an unplanned but decisive shift away from the Army and into the Royal Marines, where demanding training gave him both focus and a lasting sense of purpose. Stephen’s first operational deployment was to Aden, a place he recalls initially as relatively calm, before tensions escalated into what became known as the Aden Emergency. As a young troop commander with 45 Commando, he experienced the realities of counter-insurgency operations in some of the harshest terrain of the Radfan Mountains. Life there was basic and exposed: long patrols at altitude, minimal equipment, unreliable radios, and complete reliance on helicopters for water and resupply. Stephen describes this period as “old-fashioned soldiering,” drawing parallels with Victorian frontier warfare, where small units operated independently against lightly armed but resilient tribal fighters. He later took part in operations beyond Aden, including the intervention in East Africa following the mutiny of the Tanganyika Rifles, before returning to the Radfan as the campaign intensified. Despite moments of contact with the enemy, Stephen’s reflections are restrained and thoughtful, focusing less on combat and more on responsibility, leadership, and the realities of command under pressure. Stephen returned to Aden again in 1967, this time as a motor transport officer, during the British withdrawal. It is this period that provokes some of his strongest reflections. He recalls the unease of dismantling a long-standing presence, and the moral discomfort of seeing local employees paid off and left vulnerable as Britain departed. Looking back, Stephen regards Aden as a “forgotten war” — one that lacks clear victory or resolution, but which nonetheless mattered deeply to those who served. For him, its significance lies not in strategy or outcome, but in the professionalism, endurance, and mutual care shown by ordinary servicemen operating in difficult and often thankless circumstances.

Bernie's interview begins with her retelling the story of how she never wanted to join the army, but as she was too short to join the police, she found herself at the army recruitment office instead. She was posted to Mill Hill in London to train with the postal and courier services. Bernie handled classified mail and transported important documents during the height of the Cold War and IRA threats. In 1978 Bernie was posted to Northern Ireland where she was flown with mail to different barracks and sites all over the country. She remembers experiencing an explosion in the barracks, and in that moment realising that no one was safe from the bombings. After Ireland, Bernie returned to Mill Hill, then Dusseldorf where she ran a post office on the Rhine. She was then posted to the Falklands and responsible for organising soldier's mail as it came into the port. On her return home she was promoted to Quartermaster, and later Sergeant Quartermaster in the Royal Artillery Regiment in Warwickshire. It was at this point in her career that she began to feel the WRAC shifting, and was sad to leave in 1994 when the Corps disbanded. Bernie shares her story because she believes it is important to document history and portray what has happened in the past.