Having lived through WWII as a child, Michael was conscripted at age 18. He trained as an anti-tank gunner in Norfolk and then sailed for Korea on the Emperor Orwell in late August 1950. He and his compatriots were among the first British regiments to go to Korea. He tells of the journey to Korea, stopping in Egypt, Ceylon, Singapore and Hong Kong. Life on board ship involved training on what to expect, as well as practice on the 17 pounder anti-tank gun. Michael describes a 24-hour train journey to Britannia camp after arriving in Pusan. From there he tells of day-to-day life, fighting trench warfare, primarily on 355 hill (Kowang Sang). Conditions were very challenging; they lived in a constant state of alertness, remaining in their clothes and boots as they had to be prepared to fight at a moment’s notice. Suffering frequent mortar bombardment and attacks by the PVA, Michael describes in detail the measures they had to take to counteract these attacks and the importance of keeping going despite the fear. He returned home after two years and tells of his frustration that the Korean war appears to have been forgotten.

In 1942, John Duke was hand-selected to join the 61^st Reconnaissance Regiment of the Armoured Corps. After undertaking intense training, John was sent to Normandy in the 2^nd wave of the D-Day invasion (13^th June 1944). As a Reconnaissance squadron, John’s unit was often further ahead of most soldiers, their job was to gain intelligence on enemy movements and report back. He recalls the precarity of this role, and how as the squadron’s driver, it was often his job to get them out of trouble in a hurry. John served in Normandy until August 1944. He was then sent to Nijmegen in Holland to assist the airborne landing in the Ardennes – this was all a part of Operation Market Garden. He speaks of the poor weather, and relentless German fire, which made it impossible for his squadron to advance. After Nijmegen, John was withdrawn to Belgium where he was involved in the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes. He recounts the extreme weather conditions – “we were up to our armpits in snow” – and the difficulty of fighting tanks in winter camouflage. After the Ardennes the 61^st regiment was disbanded, and John joined the 5^th regiment prior to the advance into Germany. He made it as far as Hanover and stayed there until 1946, when he was demobbed and returned home to become a police officer.

Conscripted into the Army, Peter Matthews completed his basic training at Shorncliffe Barracks before being posted to Berlin as part of Operation Plainfare, the British element of the Berlin Airlift. A bout of illness delayed his journey; by the time he recovered, the Russians had closed the roads, railways and rivers, so Peter had to be flown in — a dramatic introduction to a divided city.

In his interview, Peter recalls the Queen’s Royal Regiment’s role in maintaining order and containing the Russian threat during the blockade. He shares vivid memories of a riot at the German Chancellery, of seeing former concentration camp prisoners working alongside SS men, and of being billeted at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium — a poignant billet for a sports lover.

Peter talks candidly about joint guard duties at Spandau Prison, the danger of infection from bodies still buried in the rubble, and the stark contrasts between British and American rations. His reflections on Russian behaviour at the end of the war underline why so much effort was poured into keeping Berlin’s people fed and fuelled — and why this story remains so important to tell.