Land, Sea & Air - Stories from the Armed Forces

“I was in a pub in Aldershot…a couple of the guys came in with the paper…and the general feeling was that we needed to get over there…and start kicking some arse.” This is the story of 2 Para, told through the eyes of Gary Steele, who Served in the battalion during The Falklands War.   “We needed to do something, and Goose Green was the something that we did. We set off at night, we left rucksacks...

“You’ve got the battles, then you’ve got the humanitarian side…It’s a strange thing is war…” This is the astonishing story of how a North Sea passenger ferry and her civilian crew, became a troop carrier, rescue ship and prisoner of war ship; in the thick of the firing, bombs and air attacks of The Falklands War.  The entire operation would have been impossible without the merchant ships taken up...

“The First Sea Lord… decreed that HMS Hermes was under just 72 hours’ notice to sail…” It’s the day after the Argentinians invaded The Falklands and Margaret Thatcher announces that Britain would send a task force. Just a few days later, the task force was ready for war. This is the story of the dockyard workers who rose to that challenge, many of whom had just received redundancy notice.  Flagshi...

“For the last 40 years, (we’ve been) trying to get the truth told about what happened on the day that it all kicked off, 2nd April 1982.” This is that true story.   “…We didn’t just surrender as the popular story goes.” Ray Bloye was part of Naval Party 8901, the small detachment of Royal Marines on the Falklands at the time of the invasion.   The portrayal of NP8901 by the British press led to 40...

“…what has become my specialism, I think is… gritty, granular detail of the reality of war set in the broader context of important national events…” Having joined the Royal Navy in 1985, Toby managed to pack-in trips round the West Indies, Australia, Hong Kong and Europe during his 10 years of Service. His thirst for adventure remaining unquenched, he began a successful career as a journalist, bec...

“I joined the RAF during the Cold War in 1986… around the time of Frankie Goes to Hollywood and the threat of… thermo-nuclear war.”  After going down the pilot route, it became apparent where Ian was more suited, “…the RAF Regiment who seemed larger than life… I met their Commanding Officer who had an unusual approach to dealing with banter in the bar, which normally involved throwing pilots out o...

“I lost my purpose at that point… I had no mission and I really started contemplating what I'd done wrong. I couldn't go back…”  A far cry from Entrepreneur of the Year, Peter’s transition from the Royal Marines to the business world was challenging, “I joined a company... my first foray into civilian world… it was a really toxic, horrible environment… probably the worst experience I cou...

“I'm a Lieutenant Commander Serving in the Royal Navy, Serving a full, capable career. Oh, by the way, I have HIV.”  Oli found out by accident and his 2019 diagnosis came as a complete shock. His first 3 thoughts were:  What is my life going to be like?  When am I going to die?  And do I still have a job?  “I realised quite rapidly, I'm not going to die... and that's the simple fact...

“They could only work until they didn't fit in their uniform, so the aim was always to circulate the skirts until no skirt would fit them….”  Joining us this episode is former WREN Officer and Reservist, Pam Heeley, who explains how women were not allowed to remain in the Navy once they had children; and as there was no maternity uniform, pregnant women had to leave when their skirts no longe...

Join us as we head into 2022 to hear the New Year’s Resolutions of 10 of our Armed Forces podcast guests. Actually, before we crack on, let’s put it straight out there, 2 of our guests don’t make resolutions! One thing that ties everyone's hopes and reflections together is sense of purpose and wellbeing. Here are a few of their words of wisdom, but can you guess who said what?  “Eat more cake...

In 1989, just before training began, “I realised, that I'd bought this copy of the Radio Times because it had a picture of Michael Ball on the front cover and… let me tell you that 30 years ago, Michael Ball was quite hot property...”  “…I thought well, ‘that's an incredible complication because in three weeks' time, I'm going to Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and that doesn&ap...

“HMS Manchester… I was playing on the bridge wing once and… the Club Swinger… came out and started doing The Sailor's Hornpipe… and so I was… on my accordion and she was dancing it superbly... and then… we had an idea, 'Let's get a team together'. So, we put a thing on daily orders for… 9, a mixture, male and female from the ship's company, and then… she drilled them and t...

“Everyone in the military loves a couple of idiots going off and doing a big physical challenge and that's what we are, and that's what we're doing.”  Having live streamed daily chats with Pascal throughout his recent ‘LEJOG’ bike ride – that’s Land’s End to John O’Groats to you and I, we catch-up with him as he reflects on what was achieved in support of the Royal Navy and Royal Ma...

“It's a bit like what we used to call in the Royal Marines… 'babbin’ your wack'… when you're proper pooing yourself before you go and do something.”  Royal Marine (RM) turned professional actor, Tip, is a ‘story-teller’ and as a young man in Belfast, he had an epiphany, “I knew that I had to become a Royal Marines Commando.” 30 years later, RM Captain, Tip, having achieved his...

“The thing I would say to anyone who's leaving the Services or has left the Services is, ‘Do not underestimate your ability to pull things off…” Royal Marine (RM) turned marine biologist and TV presenter, Monty left the Corps in ’96,  “I look back on it with the fondest, fondest memories… all my best mates, my best muccas are still bootnecks that I Served with, or joined-up with… a real eclec...

“When it comes down to mental health issues, I feel that a lot of it can be helped with just breaking that habit of what your brain's been through… If you watched a film and you thought it was rubbish, you wouldn't put it on again, you’d put something else on!” Submariner, John is part of HMND Clyde’s Recovery Cell, looking after the day-to-day lives of people who cannot sail with their...

“Being yourself at work…” as easy as it sounds? “…in the military, there is a stereotype of what a military person is… and over the past 30 or 40 years, we've made some changes. So we've increased the number of women that are Serving… it's no longer illegal to be homosexual within the Armed Forces, we've got more Commonwealth personnel Serving with us. We are a very diverse org...

“The Navy? What is that?!” Few Royal Navy sailors started their careers with that question, but then most Royal Navy sailors didn’t grow up in land-locked Zimbabwe. Janine arrived in England aged 19, having been invited by her aunt when Janine felt she needed to leave Zimbabwe due to the political unrest of the 1990s, “So I left, came to London and it was exciting. I’d never left Africa before. It...

“Just try for a day. Keep your legs, but just take your dominant arm and put it behind your back… and look at the challenges that come just from that… and then try and multiply that by 10.” Before the incident, “I was 6’2, 16 stone, at the peak of my physical fitness, everything that in my mind, I thought an alpha male should be and I was living the dream… now, all of a sudden, boom! …without my p...

Tornado Pilot, Mandy, Served for 17 years in the Royal Air Force. Yes, you know we can’t resist, “Highway to the danger zone…..” OK, Top Gun reference out of the way and onto business. Literally, actually. Having left the RAF 10 years ago, Mandy runs her own business as a Motivational Speaker , taking lessons learned from aviation into businesses and schools. Mandy‘s grandfather, a pilot in World...

“The whole NHS has really stood up and been there when the country needed it most.” Two careers linked by Public Service.  The first, 28 years in the Royal Navy with “Lots of sea-time”; followed by a career in the NHS, “Making a difference to people, making people’s lives better.” Having joined-up at 18, David’s varied Naval career included work at sea on board Type 22 Frigates, shore-based at Whi...

“It’s not something to be scared of… they are a little bit different, but with the right care and nourishment they can thrive and they can be awesome.” When Bex’s son was born with Down’s Syndrome, being his advocate became her sense of purpose. Since then, Bex has helped to support other families who have children with Down’s and has been working to raise awareness; volunteering with the Portsmou...

“If you know any bootnecks… we love breaking the rules!” But what we don’t expect to hear is this RM attitude applied to creativity. “Learn the rules like a basic or an amateur so can break them like a pro” …this is the ethos the three bootnecks turned film-makers on Sunray live by. ‘Sunray’, meaning “Troop Boss or The Boss in Marine slang” also alludes to a ray of hope and came out of a difficult...

“Flying fish are a nightmare… they fire off the water like missiles.” Why would this bother a submariner, you might ask?  For Hugo, life beneath the waves was swapped for life on the waves when he roped his three shipmates… can you call submariners shipmates? Anyway, when they all embarked upon the adventure of competing in a rowing race across the Atlantic Ocean… “If they get caught by a gust of...

So, how does “an unremarkable pupil” – as described by his P.E. teacher at a parents’ evening – become a triple gold medal Olympic rower? Pete discovered rowing onboard HMS Exeter of all places and his determination, hard work and resilience took him to the Olympics. These attributes have served him well, perhaps none more so than right now. Pete recently suffered an unexpected spinal stroke which...