After joining the Royal Marines and completing his training, Fred travelled to Korea and conducted coastal raids to protect explosives experts from harm. While accompanying a convoy along the Chosin Reservoir, Fred was shot through the foot by North Korean fire. After recovering, he rejoined his unit during an ice-cold winter, which left him unaffected by the cold for decades since nothing compared to the Korean winter. Fred describes his camaraderie with American marines, who he advised against their trigger-happy tendencies because enemy fighters could advance unhindered upon hearing the empty magazine's distinctive “click”. Fred never discovered why he was mentioned in dispatches but wonders if it was for performing his duties while injured. He gave blood from his arm to an injured comrade before their evacuation to a military hospital. He later cared for hospitalised patients, cracking jokes and brewing tea. He becomes emotional remembering those who died in his arms. After returning to Britain, Fred was deemed unfit for service – a decision that still irks him today. He explains that the Korean War, its veterans and the fallen are widely overlooked. Fred’s moving story highlights the need to commemorate those who fought in history’s “Forgotten War”.

John Edward Lee joined the Royal Air Force as a pilot navigator after working at the Ministry of Supply. He trained abroad before completing the RAF observer course in navigation, bomb aiming, signals, and gunnery. After training in Lossiemouth Scotland, he joined the No. 76 Squadron as a Lancaster navigator. John flew in thirty-one bombing raids and experienced several close calls flying at 18,000 feet, under attack and blinded by enemy searchlights. He later recalls the stunning sight of thousands of ships below as he flew across the channel on D-Day. After his crew disbanded, they reunited at RAF Moreton-in-the-Marsh. John then extended his service, becoming a navigation instructor and radar specialist, teaching crews’ telemetry for atom bomb drops. He later trained on Vickers Valiants and Wellington Bombers, issuing targets and briefing missions in Russia. John described his RAF career as fascinating and fulfilling, proud of his role and contributions.

Rachel Webster served all over the world with the RMP (Royal Military Police), including deployments in Northern Ireland during The Conflicts and in Afghanistan during the 2001 allied invasion. After completing an apprenticeship in welding she wanted to join the Royal Engineers, but she was laughed out of the recruiting office for being a “girl”. After some consideration, she decided to join the RMP instead. She completed her basic training with the WRAC (Women's Royal Army Corps), and did further training with the RMP before being deployed to Germany. In her interview she discusses the challenges of being a female within the military and the challenges of trying to keep up with the frontline military units she was supporting. She talks about her experience of integrating herself into a very male dominated space, and how she became someone who the men could confide in during difficult times. Rachel talks about being deployed to Bosnia and Kosovo with the Green Howards, remembering it as her toughest deployment. The atrocities she witnessed over there are something that she has never forgotten, needing counselling when she returned home to help her emotionally come to terms about what she witnessed over there. One of her proudest moments was deploying to Iraq in 2003, where she helped build a local girls' school, impressing the Iraqi men with her welding skills and forming strong relationships with the locals. After being put up for commission, she supported 1st Battalion, The Rifles in Afghanistan as a regimental admin officer, the highlight of her career. After 24 years, she left the military for a new challenge.