Bryan Hunter, commonly known as 'Tab' in the forces, was called up for for National Service to the Queens own Royal West Kent Regiment in Oct 1955 and after completing training he was put in for the Parachute Regiment. He recounts all the hard work and training he had to go through until he was finally conscripted to Cyprus in 1956. Bryan tells stories of pure determination and tenacity - 'if you went down, you would get up and throw yourself back into the fight again' as he reflects on his time fighting in conflicts. He mentions his brief appearance in the Suez Canal Crisis, mutiny on the high seas and his time entertaining his camp with his passion for cinema and film projection. Overall, his story highlights the stark contrast between conscription and everyday camp life abroad.

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.

Born in Alsager, Cheshire, Geoffrey joined the Army to avoid working down the coal mines. He recalls moments of hope while fighting on the Europe frontline, such as the sight of a crucifix on the door of a French school in Cristot, miraculously unharmed despite heavy shelling. He also describes the difficult position of having to shoot his first soldier, when a group of three German troops feigned surrender and threw a hand grenade. Like with the deaths of his own regiment and friends, Geoff kept himself positive with one simple mantra: “I'm glad it’s not me”. After being shot in the leg in Belgium, Geoff was captured and transported in a cattle truck to Stalag IV-B, one of Germany’s largest POW camps. He describes the harsh conditions and overcrowding, as well as witnessing the camp’s justice system at work, after guards caught and shot a fellow prisoner accused of stealing rations.  In a cruel twist of fate, he also found himself forced to work somewhere he wanted to avoid at all cost - a coal mine. After surviving Stalag IV-B and the notorious ‘Death March’, Geoff returned safely home to Barnsley, weighing only 6 stone and 2 pounds.  Geoff’s optimism shines throughout this interview, despite his harrowing ordeal. He fondly remembers much of the camaraderie during his time in service, and still to this day expresses no regrets of his experience in Europe. He maintains respect for the Germans, for always keeping to their word.