Doreen was studying German at university in WW2 when she was called up, age 20, and assigned to Naval Intelligence at Bletchley Park. This was in June 1944 at the start of the German V1 ‘flying bomb’ offensive. She was part of the Ultra intelligence unit and translated de-coded documents intercepted from the German Enigma system. After translation she classified and sorted the documents so that they could be accessed by senior officers. She worked in the same hut as Alan Turing, one of the crucial scientists in the Ultra system. One of the main tasks she worked on was tracking U-boat movements in the Atlantic as they tried to threaten Allied convoys. She also worked on locating the German battleship Tirpitz so that it could be attacked and sunk by the RAF. After the end of the war she was assigned to Berlin, in occupied Germany, where her knowledge of German and military procedure stood her in good stead. She worked with senior officers in Naval Intelligence and was in Berlin during the first part of the Airlift. After two years in Germany she returned to Britain. Here she worked for the War Office, translating documents for the War Crimes tribunal. This task she found both horrific and interesting. When this ended Doreen found a job outside the service, at Lloyds Bank. She was employed in their foreign section, where the red tape was worse than in the intelligence services! This irritated her and she left after one year.

Philip’s career at sea has covered a range of experiences including working his way up from cadet to third mate on a cargo shop and a summer season on a hovercraft, which he calls “the original vomit comet” making journeys across the Channel. He joined the Queen Elizabeth II in 1978 and spent 10 years working onboard. Philip was meant to be on leave when the ship was requisitioned to attend the Falklands but he honourably stepped up and offered to swap with a married man. As a Cunard employee, but having spent time in the Royal Navy Reserves, Philip was well placed to become the Liaison Officer between ship operations and the military. He describes in detail the changes made to the QE2 to make the ship ready for transporting over 3000 troops and the technical difficulties they had to surmount. He also recalls the press interest in the ship and how visiting dignitaries, such as the Foreign Secretary, would have to be accommodated. Philip says the mix of personnel worked well and most people rehearsed a number of roles due to the uncertainty ahead, in particular, the Gurkha troops were incredibly diligent in practicing evacuation drills. The closer they get, the more the reality hits of what is ahead as they receive news of casualties and sunken warships. Icebergs are a real threat too and having to travel without radar (in case of detection) was risky. One treacherously foggy day a Cunard officer switched the radar back on and just as well he did because it alerted them to icebergs all around. Even anchoring the ship at Grytviken was dangerous as the water was so deep. Philip is able to recall in detail the operations taking place followed by a complex refuelling process to get them home safely. The return was very emotional as they were the first major ship to get back and carrying hundreds of survivors. They were welcomed home by the Queen Mother. Philip reflects that this time was a huge adventure and not something he could ever have imagined being part of as a normal Merchant Navy sailor.