Howard Ormerod provides an enthralling account of his service with Royal Navy supplies aboard the SS Atlantic Conveyor during the Falklands War. Already having a background in trade, Howard's introduction to the navy began after receiving a job at the naval supplies department as part of the Ministry of Defence. However, it would take him four years before finding himself at sea where he volunteered as a civil servant aboard the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. When war broke out in the Falklands, his services became valuable to the SS Atlantic Conveyor, commanded by Captain Ian North. Howard recalls the immensity of the ship, acting as a carrier not just for small items but also large vehicles. He was tasked with managing and protecting the stores onboard. During her voyage, the Conveyor managed to offload supplies to RFA Stromness at Ascension Island and later transferred Harriers to HMS Plymouth. Things were running smoothly until the carrier was hit by an Exocet missile. The situation became so disastrous that the crew was forced to abandon ship. Howard describes his thrilling escape, passing though rising smoke which obscured his view and falling into water after missing a life raft beneath him. Ironically, the same life raft came on top of him at one point, nearly drowning him. His life had briefly flashed before his eyes. After being rescued by HMS Alacrity, Howard noticed that many of the stores were caught in the destruction and even more tragically, the loss of human lives, including the captain himself, Ian North. Following the catastrophe, Howard was sent home by aircraft, an experience he reflects on despairingly. After the Falklands, he would continue his naval supplies career for another three years before moving into accountancy. Despite having no regrets, Howard's brief time in the Falklands War made him wish that some things had gone differently and that more people recognised the success of the civil servants who helped in the offloading of stores. His interview reflects their bravery and achievements in the navy during the conflict.

Garry Burns shares an engaging account of his service aboard RFA Tidespring during the Falklands War. Raised in a Children's home, Garry understood hardness and strict discipline from a young age. These qualities would benefit his transition into the Royal Navy when he joined. After enlisting at sixteen, he trained as a Gunner, working aboard many warships from HMS Cambridge to HMS Reclaim. This was before choosing to become a merchant sailor, serving aboard RFA Tidespring as a Paint locker-man. Despite leaving the navy, he would soon find himself entering a warzone after Tidespring was called to Ascension Island in preparation for war in the Falklands. Something Garry thought was a joke because the message was received on April 1st. While sailing to South Georgia with a group of other warships, Garry recalls how they were required to bunch up and mimic cargo ships to avoid detection from Russian Satellites who were monitoring them. At South Georgia, many crazy stories unfolded such as, struggling to send marines ashore after the crashing of two helicopters and the drifting of a recovery boat. After the bombardment and surrender of South Georgia, the crew were given the opportunity to inspect the hamlet of Grytviken. Garry was stunned by how forsaken it was. It resembled a ghost town in which everyone had left, yet much was left behind. During the war, they brought hundreds of POWs aboard, including crew members of the Santa Fe submarine which had limped onto Grytviken after being attacked. When meeting the prisoners, Garry noticed how bedraggled some of them appeared. He managed to form healthy relationships with some of them, especially since he knew Spanish from his earlier voyages in both South and Central America. This made him the crew's unofficial translator. Being born mixed race in the 1950s, Garry never had an easy time making friends, especially early on. However, his life aboard Tidespring proved to be a happy one and his skin colour was valuable in gaining the assurance of POWs who may have found it difficult to trust someone of a more English disposition. Garry's story captures the advantages that come from growing up in undesirable circumstances, from the success that can still be attained and the surprising way in which new bonds can be formed.