In 1942, Fred undertook 16 weeks of infantry training in Reading, joining the fifth battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment. He was first sent to Marlborough in Suffolk to undertake beach defence, but after the Germans did not land there, he was reassigned to Scotland to train in a beach group for the Normandy landings alongside a Canadian division. He trained in small assault craft out to sea and undertook extensive training in handling different cargo and rope tying, becoming an experienced stevedore, a loader and unloader of ships. Fred was next stationed near Waterlooville for further training, before going to Southampton Number 1 dock to sail for Normandy with many other ships. He describes being caught in a storm and sheltering in Calshot before being allowed to leave the harbour. Fred describes the chaos and noise of the gun battles and shell fire of the Normandy landings. Whilst there he manned a Bren gun that he was proud to have never left during Operation Overlord. Fred unloaded thousands upon thousands of cargo, including barbed wire, rations and other essential supplies, sometimes standing in four foot of water. At the same time, he was also helped to move prisoners, casualties and many bodies from the beach after joining the Forth Wiltshire Regiments platoon. Fred describes being wounded and the nightmares he suffered with but also reflects on the importance of his regiment mates for team moral during and after the war.  

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. 

In 1938, Mary joined the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry in her late teens. When the war started, she was posted to the anti-aircraft area HQ. Her duties included driving officers to gun sites, often several hundred miles. On one trip, a bomb landed nearby, and her car was blown across the road, but no one was injured. Driving through Sheffield and Coventry, after they had been severely bombed, was frightening, especially as her parents lived in Sheffield. In 1942, she wanted an overseas posting, which was refused, so she applied for a commission and became an officer. In 1944, Germany launched the V-1 bombing campaign, and Mary found this unnerving. A bomb landed near a house she was in and blew out all the windows, and being an officer, she had to take charge of the situation. She grew up rapidly during the war and enjoyed the experience, despite the terrible events.   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.