During the Liverpool Blitz, Gordon frequently sheltered from air raids and wore gas masks in school lessons. When the war ended, he recalls people drinking in celebration and making street bonfires from the remnants of bombed buildings. Upon finishing his school exams, Gordon was called up to national service, where he trained as a Clerk GD. After some confusion surrounding his first posting, he was sent to help with the Berlin Airlift at Bückeberg. Following a turbulent flight to Germany, Gordon sought out his assignment. Despite never having left Britain before and with little guidance, he eventually found the medieval palace where 46 Group was headquartered. Gordon describes the ornate building, his German colleagues, and their difficult postwar living conditions. He befriended Heinz, a 19-year-old former member of the Hitler Youth who took him around the village and to local festivals. Gordon was later sent to Lüneburg, where RAF servicemen often clashed with the Army’s Royal Scots Greys regiment. He spent his days running the office, filing documents and communicating with different departments. While many of his contemporaries saw their national service as a waste of time, Gordon fondly remembers experiencing foreign travel and exciting opportunities.

Bella Bailey reflects on her fascinating journey with the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) which changed her life forever. Struggling to find a purpose in post war Britain, Bella decided to join the RAF after discovering a notice for female recruits. Against her mother's wishes, she left home to train at a camp in Winslow. Showing a keen interest for puzzles, she later landed a job as a code messenger at Bletchley park which she thoroughly enjoyed, adapting quickly to the strict accuracy which the role required. Eventually she was posted to a camp in Lubeck, Germany which excited her adventurous spirit. She recalls the train ride through Germany, seeing the devastation caused by the bombings. During the Berlin Airlift, she continued to use a telex machine to send coded messages for important tasks such as reporting what food supplies the planes were transporting from one place to another. Outside of work, she explored Lubeck, learning to relax and have fun with her two friends May and Marj. Despite the tenseness of the atmosphere, the locals were friendly and the soldiers remained civil which made the environment feel safe and comfortable for them. She recalls one mischievous act in which she convinced a pilot to take her to Berlin which could only be done during her twenty four hour shift. Before they could lift off, the corporal caught her and sent her to cookhouse duties for a week. At the time of this interview, Bella has still not visited Berlin. The experience she gained left a profound impact on her life and would benefit her later when given the opportunity to work for the government in the diplomatic wire service. Bella's interview shows the life of a woman who understood discipline, harnessing it effortlessly into their skillset without obstructing her sense of fun and adventure.