Albert was initially an unwilling recruit to the Army Catering Corps wanting to join the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, but on being posted  he was on attachment to the 61st Light Regiment Royal Artillery. From the smell at disembarkment to the odd from of transport to the front, he describes the basic living conditions of an army camp and cook house and recalls fondly his Korean assistant, Jonna, who twice saved his life. He explains how he regularly served 45 men a roast dinner on the edge of no-man's land. He describes how the camp got the nickname 'Charlie Sound' and how sound was used to pinpoint enemy guns. Even in his role in the Catering Corps, Albert was still a solider. He describes an enemy attack on the camp. Having been trained as a Bren gunner, when the regular gunner is killed right next to him, Albert is forced to take over. In another incident he finds three unexploded mortuary bombs outside the cookhouse. He shares his memories of the Battle of The Hook at Samichen River, the last of four battles that took place from 1952-3. The battle was fought from 24-26th July 1953 and the armistice, ending the war, was signed on the following day, 27th July 1953. Once the ceasefire had been declared Albert stayed on for a number of months feeding the men, first at camp and later at Headquarters. Many years later he returned to Korea. In a museum he is approached by a young South Korean girl who says 'thank you for saving my country'  bringing tears to Albert's eyes.

Coming from a musical and artistic family, John was attracted to military service as an opportunity to become a professional musician. He joined the Staffordshire Regiment, and after arduous basic training, joined the military band. He focused on the cornet and the double bass and describes his development as a musician. He puts his success down to hard work; he wanted to become a professional musician in a military band and he would do whatever it took to achieve this. He was then given the opportunity to train at Kneller Hall, which he describes as ‘the mecca for army music’. He practised hard and won a prize for the most improved musician on double bass as well as best double bass musician for that year. Following graduation, he spent time in Northern Ireland, then Gibraltar. Eventually he became an instructor in the Prince of Wales division and from there back to Kneller Hall as a student Bandmaster. Having graduated, he became the first black bandmaster and went to the Cheshire Regiment and from there to Bosnia and the first Gulf War. He describes his time with the Cheshire Regiment, during which he received a commission before retiring in 2000.

Lamin Maneh, originally from Gambia, served as a proud Guardsman in the Irish Guard. He chose to join the British Army with a clear purpose: “to make people’s lives better.” In 2006, Lamin moved to England and began the process of enlisting, officially joining the army in 2009. Reflecting on his journey, he shares memories of his childhood and life in Gambia and the significant transition he experienced as he adapted to life in the British military. Lamin was attracted to the public-facing role of the guards, with ‘thousands or millions of people coming to this country, the first place to see is where the guards are.’ Initially becoming a beefeater, he underwent intense drills and difficult training that forces you to push yourself to your limits to complete. His first deployment was in Afghanistan, and though, naturally, he was a little nervous, this was outweighed by his excitement to get to do the job he’d been training for. His first two weeks in Bastion were spent doing familiarisations and getting prepped ready to be deployed to the Forward Operating Base (FOB). These familiarisations consisted of doing patrols talking to local people and trying to help give them the security they need to go about their daily life. His previous training in Kenya helped him acclimatise to the extreme heat, and his shared religion with many local Afghans allowed him to build meaningful connections and earn their trust. On New Year's Eve 2010, after three months of deployment, Lamin suffered a serious injury due to an IED explosion. Waking up 14 days later in a hospital in Birmingham, Lamin reflects on his time spent recovering and regaining his strength at Hedley Court, as well as how his faith guided him through his time serving and in recovery. Although Lamin’s army career has come to a close, he remains passionate about helping people, searching for a job that continues to allow him to make a positive impact. We wish Lamin the very best of luck in his next adventure.