Irene Buckland was born in 1912. In 1938 she joined the FANYs along with her younger sister Chrystal King (nee Eileen Maud Chrystal Buckland). Their father, Sir Henry Buckland, was the General Manager of The Crystal Palace. They both felt they had been more or less “shanghaied” into joining the FANYs as the Chairman’s wife was part of FANY recruitment. Irene recalls that people wondered who they were when they first appeared in uniform. The FANYs were very proud of their uniform which they felt was much better than the ATS uniform. Both Irene and Chrystal were based initially at Woolwich. Irene was met with some initial distain by the male officers being a female driver but once they knew she could drive they were fine. She joined the Anglo-American FANYs before leaving to look after her parents. She continued in the ARP, however, missed the camaraderie of the FANYs.   The publication of this previously unseen interview was made possible thanks to a grant from The Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charity, to mark 80 years since the closure of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in January 1946. 

Mary Soames OBE delivers a vibrant account of her journey from an ambulance driver for the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANYs) to a colonel in the British Army. She recounts with fondness the memories and occasional challenges that emerged throughout her twenty-six-year career which witnessed the entirety of the Second World War. Initially driving converted bread vans as ambulances at Royal Albert Docks following the outbreak of war, Mary moved to a more senior and administrative role at Streatham Common. As she progressed through her career, Mary undertook more senior roles and responsibilities in a variety of locations and shares the stories she collected along the way, including brief affiliations with the intelligence corps, tales of the Blitz, and interactions with Royal Family members. Mary joined the army in 1942, where she was commissioned as a colonel and remained in this position until her marriage in 1964. Mary’s story reflects some of the struggles that women faced in positions of military authority. Nonetheless, her pride at being a member of FANY and admiration for the remarkable organisation are illuminated throughout her account. Her career was one of remarkable growth and was made all the more commendable with her roles as life vice-president of WRAC Association and chairman of the Benevolent Fund.   The publication of this previously unseen interview was made possible thanks to a grant from The Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charity, to mark 80 years since the closure of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in January 1946. 

At 18 years old Bill Hurst joined the 1st King's Liverpool Regiment as a national serviceman, and describes how his initial training as a driver ultimately led him to fighting in Korea, a country he had never heard of. Bill recalls the terror of the shelling, and the shared realisation amongst the soldiers that they might not be returning home. In one particularly moving moment, he remembers the fear of being sent over the top and the shrapnel he took in his knee as a result of enemy fire. He also reflects on the huge loss of young men during this war, and how it has been largely forgotten as a war. However, Bill maintains the importance of remembering the funnier moments and shares fond memories of the friends he made, and the end of the war where they all knew they would be going home. Remembering the Battle of the Hook, Bill makes clear that he tried to keep his head down and survive the never-ending barrage of shells. His interview provides an authentic account of the Korean war and the reality of life in the trenches.