Zoe Meakin, a military wife and mother, shares her journey of balancing work and family during her husband's military career. After meeting Dallas and getting engaged within a few months, Zoe focused on her career as a midwife while Dallas served in the military, noticing changes in him when he returned from tours. After having two children together, they travelled to various countries with Dallas’ work but later returned to the UK. Dallas changed roles to work in the prison guard service but suffered physical and mental injuries after an incident at work, eventually being diagnosed with severe PTSD. This also affected their children, who no longer recognised their father. Zoe used her NHS role to secure support for her husband and children despite many challenges. Initially not engaging with support that was offered to her as a military wife, Zoe recently connected with the Band of Sisters and attended a well-earned respite weekend. She remains in contact with other military partners she met there who have all been through similar life events. Her inspirational story highlights her dedication to both her family and career as she works hard to get the support her family needs.

Alison Harris was serving as an assistant purser on the Uganda when the ship was unexpectedly requisitioned for service in the Falklands War. Originally a school cruise ship, Uganda was swiftly converted into a hospital ship, with public rooms transformed into wards and a helicopter pad built over the swimming pool. Alison’s role involved maintaining detailed records of personnel onboard, including injured British and Argentine soldiers. She recalls the surreal experience of maintaining a sense of normality—printing daily menus and holding quizzes—even as the ship sailed into a war zone. Despite the challenges, including water shortages and harsh weather, she speaks of the camaraderie among the crew and the deep friendships formed. Alison reflects on the Uganda’s vital but often overlooked role in the conflict, feeling privileged to have been part of an extraordinary chapter in history.

At the age of seventeen, with the knowledge that she wouldn’t have an address, and her parents wouldn’t know where she was, Eileen Simpson became a FANY (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry). After training at the SOE centre at Chicheley Hall in Buckinghamshire, Eileen tells how she went to work at Norgeby House in Baker Street, London, the SOE’s main WW2 control centre for the European country sections. There she spent three years, working in a team with three other women, coding messages sent to operatives in the field, and compiling schedules and frequencies for when SOE agents across Europe should send their messages. Eileen remembers having to be careful not to get too attached to agents due to the heavy loss of personnel, and being all too aware that you shouldn’t discuss work when ‘you’ve got other people’s lives in your hands’. Working six and a half days a week, including through Doodle bomb raids, and the time a V-2 rocket landed on Marylebone Station, the women formed a close-knit group which resulted in lifelong friendships. Eileen recalls being very aware that they had something to work for, and despite having very little time off, she says she ‘loved every minute!’