Douglas Hassall shares how he narrowly escaped a death sentence after spending three and a half years as one of Japan’s prisoners of war during World War 2. Douglas accepted early on that escaping would be foolish as any escapees were executed; the camp being located in Vietnam also left the nearest allies 1100 miles away.  The Japanese employed beatings and other instantaneous punishments, something alien to a British soldier like Douglas, their neglectful medical care equally as shocking to him. Despite his horrible treatment Douglas highlights how incredibly lucky he was as the other camps had prisoners sleeping outside with no access to clean water. The few lenient guards allowed them to hold concerts and church services however over time the Japanese replaced them with cruel guards who murdered the prisoners’ pets.    Douglas got his first hint of freedom after a British interpreter secretly told him that allies were closing in, both of them unaware that Japan’s prisoners of war were all destined to die. Prison labour had halted and transportation of prisoners to the execution site had begun when the second atomic bomb fell forcing Japan to free everyone at the very last second.  Unfortunately Douglas’ release was bittersweet due to the plane transporting one of his friends back to England crashing killing everyone on board.   

William Granville grew up in difficult circumstances, becoming an orphan during the Second World War after his mother was killed in 1940. Raised in care following periods of instability and truancy, he developed a strong sense of independence and resilience at an early age. Initially aspiring to join the Royal Navy, he failed the medical examination due to his height and subsequently enlisted in the British Army, a move he actively welcomed despite his youthful rebelliousness. After basic training at Rhyl and further training at Larkhill, William joined the Royal Artillery, serving with the 18th Medium Regiment before being transferred to the 20th Field Regiment. He trained as a signaller, specialising in wireless and field telephone communications. This role involved laying and repairing long-distance communication cables under operational conditions, work he valued for the autonomy and responsibility it provided. In 1951–52, he was posted to Hong Kong for nine months, where he completed extensive field training in the New Territories near the Chinese border. Later that year, his regiment was deployed to Korea, landing at Pusan before moving north to the Imjin River sector. William described Korea as undeveloped and harsh, with extreme winter conditions and limited protective clothing available to troops. On the front line, he worked as a 24-hour on-call signaller, repeatedly repairing damaged communication lines under mortar fire, often at night and in exposed terrain, including minefields. He experienced direct combat, repeated mortar attacks, and close-quarters encounters with Chinese forces. He witnessed the deaths of close comrades during heavy fighting at positions including the Hook, events that left a lasting impact. Despite these experiences, William emphasised duty, camaraderie, and emotional detachment as coping mechanisms. He was later awarded the Military Medal for his actions but regarded it as simply “doing the job.” After demobilisation, he returned to civilian life, carrying vivid memories of Korea while reflecting on the human cost of the conflict.

Jenny always knew she wanted to work with animals and in her interview discusses the journey that led her to becoming a rider groom with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. Growing up in Northern Rhodesia, she found the move difficult and initially struggled with army life. Once she had adapted to military life at Guildford, she remembers finding enjoyment in her specialised training and uniform. As a kennel maid, Jenny describes the different sections of dogs that were trained within the army and the limited dog-work available to women in the army. She recalls the lack of options for women and how much harder they had to work to progress into higher ranks, such as the horse stables. Once she had been promoted to the stables, she was placed in control of cavalry horses and breaking in wild horses for military use. She describes the difficulty of this job, along with its demanding hours and social restrictions. When asked to reflect on the WRAC Jenny states that she always felt part of a sisterhood, however, like many other female veterans resented the manner in which she was forced to leave on the condition of marriage and the restrictions placed on women in the army.