Land, Sea & Air - Stories from the Armed Forces

James Glancy is “of the 9/11 era. There is a big difference in the experience of Serving in the Royal Marines or the military in the 90s to the post 2001 era…I was in Afghanistan within two months of passing out…I did three Troop Commands on combat operations on the ground. It was an amazing 10 years.”

When he left “I missed the intensity of operations so much, it’s without doubt one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life and I just loved being at war, it sounds a strange thing to say but I l...

Sir Laurie Bristow was central to the military withdrawal in 2021, there’s nobody better placed to give us the inside story than the last British ambassador in Afghanistan. He takes us through the days and hours counting down, “15th August we started the day with President Ghani behind his desk broadcasting to the nation…roughly 2.30pm” He’s “left the country…a few hours later you’ve got the Taliban behind that desk…taking their selfies.”

Laurie shares his views on the Doha Agreement and tries to make sense of what happened and why, “How was it that we investe...

Oliver Lee resigned over the Marine A controversy and epitomises moral courage. He took over command of 45 Commando in 2009 as it came back from Afghanistan. Knowing they’d return in 2011 and to fulfil his vision of “Less violence, more engagement with people and culture… It’s about Afghans before anybody else” he ensured that the entire unit “all played a part in the production of the plan…What I was trying to do was to persuade young hard charging Royal Marines, whose last experience was Sangin, to operate in an extremely different way.”

The unit distilled their...

Cayle Royce was severely injured in action. His difficult yet inspirational story is told from his mother, Bronwyn’s perspective. Cayle lost both legs above the knee and part of his hand as well as further blast injuries after stepping on an IED.

“It is a very challenging story, but lots of positives to be taken…From where we were…To where we are now. The hospital, to adventures across the world. My child has come a long way…18 months after injury, Cayle rowed the Atlantic for the first time.” That was just the start, Cayle and hi...

Frank Ledwidge is angry. His hard-hitting, bleak and perhaps controversial perspective is born out of his work in Afghanistan and  personal investigation, “I wanted to know what the human cost was…The image we had of ourselves was, we are here to help” but “We were seen as…invaders…That came as something of a shock to me.”

Frank’s background was as a lawyer and a Reservist, “I joined one of the more discrete units of the Navy, a Joint-Service unit with the Army and Air Force…Got called up to Bosnia, then Iraq as a Military Intelli...

James Malone remembers leaving Lympstone, “In every fibre of being, I felt like I could do anything…You just wanna get stuck in.”

His tour was “Something that definitely changed the course of my life. War does that…to everyone who experiences combat…the first major casualty…was sobering…we had fairly regular contact, gunfights, rocket attacks, IED strikes…I was a Point Man, barma-ing, trying to stop people standing on IEDs…first into most situations, whether clearing a compound to set-up for overwatch, or a firefight or…a Shura with Elders, you’re first in there, first through...

Tom Corrigan wanted to be an Apache pilot... “I thought, ‘Yeah Apache, that looks pretty awesome, up for a bit of that’. It’s something I’d wanted to do since I was a pretty young lad, I just thought, ‘that looks pretty epic.’”

Tom’s first tour was in 2009, “You were just chomping at the bit to get out there really…We all thought it was going to be fairly quiet…we’re here as a peace-keeping force…It was not like that, it was full on…intense...We were up 10 minutes and…‘Troops in contact request...

Nick Denning gives us an insight into his life and responsibilities as a very new Platoon Commander in Helmand Province.

“It was all a very rapid, flash-to-bang experience getting there…You want to feel worn-in and seasoned and up-to-speed as quickly as you can…You wait for your first patrol, your first contact with the enemy, your first engagement with the local nationals…There was just this huge sense of ‘This is it’…I knew from the start I had a very strong command team…We spent the first third of the tour in Nauzad…the latter 2/3 in...

Liz McConaghy “amassed 10 Op Herricks”, deployed three months at a time as part of the Chinook Force...

“We were there at the beginning of Op Herrick…when Camp Bastion didn’t even exist… and we were there, pretty much at the end, when we turned the lights off and walked away. Because of that, we saw the whole campaign grow and develop. Lots of mixed emotions throughout the entire journey.”

Liz joined the military to, “...have a purpose and do a job and it’s fair to say, Afghanistan gave me that in bucket loads. Ever...

Ken Benbow Served in the 7th Escort Group in the Atlantic convoys. With no torpedoes, just guns and depth charges to protect Allied merchant ships from U-Boats, they sailed back and forth through ‘No Man’s Land’, 1,500 miles of ocean with no air cover, being “attacked every hour by the Germans”. Age 17, Ken went from working on a farm to Serving in the Royal Navy and his story is at the very heart of The Battle of The Atlantic.

This podcast is supported by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.

If you’re a member of...

Catapult-Armed Merchant “CAM” ship pilots flew highly secretive one-way missions. David Wright was one of only a handful and their stories are little known.

Using rockets and catapults mounted on merchant ships, Hurricane fighter planes were launched to shoot down German planes. With no flight deck to land on, pilots had to bail out seconds before the planes sank into the Atlantic.

 We’ll hear two war time stories, Norma Wright’s, who joined the National Fire Service; and David’s, her late husband.

You can also read David's book, Airborne by Rocket

Th...

Atlantic and Arctic Convoy Veteran, Ron Syson, gives us a gritty account of life as a Merchant Seaman. Very early on, he sailed to Iceland, Greenland and New York, and was alongside when the Normandy caught fire and capsized. He was only 15.

 As well as transporting vital supplies across the Atlantic to Britain, Ron braved the Arctic seas in what Churchill described as, “the worst journey in the world.” Added to the Nazi threat were sub-zero temperatures, weeks of constant darkness in winter; snow, ice and for anyone overboard, little chance of rescue. 

Ron’s experien...

Winston Churchill once wrote, “... the only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-Boat peril”. If The Allies had lost, Britain would have been starved into surrender.

 99-year-old John Roberts gives us a fantastic insight into The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest running campaign of WWII.

John left the Royal Navy as a Rear Admiral, having joined-up aged 17 in 1938. When he first went to sea in 1941, The Allies were suffering terrible losses. John explains how the campaign evolved, tactics improved, escorts increased, equipment developed and The Allies gained a greater under...

Paula’s story is about the loss of her husband, Paul Harding, who Served in the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Green Jackets. He joined-up at 18 and was killed in action aged 47, in Basra 2007.

We hear about being under attack, fatality and bereavement. If you feel that you might be sensitive to this, you may prefer not to listen.

This emotional, difficult story “shows the tenacity and bravery of my two sons, and how we've recovered from the loss of their wonderful father.”

“Paul told me...

Tip Cullen, former Royal Marines Commando tells us about losing 8 of his friends in the very first operation of Op Telic 1.

He’s telling this story “...to keep their memory alive” and “...for the families that had to deal with the consequences…” also for “...people to empathise with their sacrifice, or their will to protect what we call freedom…Those people were legends…”

“We deployed as a Brigade Recce Force...mostly Royal Marines Commandos, main disciplines Mountain Leaders or specialists in reconnaissance and snipers…”

“A couple of days before the...

Kirk Bowett Served in The Cheshire Regiment and his deployment to the Middle East began during Op Telic 4, 2004.

We hear about his personal experiences of the realities of war, which includes details of injury and loss of limb. If you feel that you might find this challenging, you may prefer not to listen.

“I was part of the recce element…in Basra City…the infrastructure had failed, no sanitation…We were initially met with open arms…”

They tried to help “...hearts and minds…” But there were problem...

Piers Stacey, aged 17, joined The Corps, “…six days after the Twin Towers were hit…”

Joining 42 Commando late 2002, “...we all went into pre-deployment training for the build-up..it was pretty intense, pretty rapid for a fresh faced 18 year old…”

In Kuwait, “...we landed in the desert…nothing there…over time, defences went up, sandbag walls…” and acclimatisation training, “...we kept our phys up and exercised out in the heat so we could condition ourselves to be able to fight in that way…”

“As we went in…jumping out of the Sea King…I...

Neville Johnson left South Africa and joined the British Army in 2003.

After basic training, he joined the 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers on a cease-fire tour in Belfast, “Those first couple of weeks were a big eye opener for me, definitely paved the way for future operations…”

Neville deployed to Basra in 2005 and 2006, duties including night and daytime patrols, working with special forces units or the parachute regiment during raids, apprehending personnel of interest, long hours in the heat with threats of “...indirect fire on our base…it was the start of the roadsi...

We meet Sarah Davis, Army Air Corps Ground Crew, one of the pioneering women deployed to the frontline during Op Telic 1.

Having joined-up in 1999, a time when the Armed Forces was going through changes - evolving in terms of equality and a time that would mark the start of several years of military campaigns.

We hear about getting ready to go, “I was kind of craving…doing my bit for Queen and Country…”

As well as operational duties in a combat zone, refuelling and rearming attack helicopters and unde...

This is Pat Patterson’s story. A Royal Marine Aircrewman with 845 Naval Air Squadron flying Sea King helicopters aka ‘Junglies’, and his wife also served during the war.

Having looked back through his helicopter logbook, he shares with us his experiences of Op Telic 1, as well as his subsequent tours.

We hear about the scale of the operation as well as operational complexities specific to helicopter crews that fly into particularly challenging environments,

“It was a bit more dangerous going the second or third time to Iraq…” 

Being an incidence response team, the cre...

We hear from Andy Merry, 40 Commando, who Served during Op Telic and whose mum marched in the anti-war protests.

Andy was first in to the Al-Faw Peninsula with the US Navy SEALs to capture strategic targets. 

This is his personal account of his experiences and he talks about the realities of war, which includes details of injury and death. 

If you feel that you might find this challenging, you may prefer not to listen.

We also hear about Andy’s life after war. He’s now a ‘Beefeater’ at the Tower of London...

“They…took my husband through our house at gunpoint searching for 'the enemy', as they called them.” Falkland Islander, Carol Phillips, had 3 small children in 1982, “My first thought was…'Are they going to…machine gun us all down?’” The task force had 8,000 miles to sail, “Perhaps we would all be dead by the time they got here?…My Dad…kept saying, 'Don't let them see you're scared…The British Bulldogs are on their way.'” 

Fighting started, “…to lose all those young men…it really was a nightmare.” But locals were courageous, “…we made a list of places around us…named them after…place...

“'I'm not going to lose my life…here'…I could just see a picture of my wife and my two boys in my mind thinking, 'No, I'm gonna get out.' That was my motivation.” 

Chris Howe was deep down inside HMS Coventry, D118, “…a dull thud…followed by extreme heat…a flash and a fireball whipping around the Operations Room…we'd been hit…next thing I knew…I'm coming round…my right arm was on fire…water was coming in…fires all around…thick black smoke…I…managed to get up…very badly burned…in a lot of pain…” 

Eventually struggl...

“I would happily go to sea with them all over again, cracking bunch of guys, led by a cracking man.” We hear from Mick Dilucia, of HMS Coventry Flight, Coventry’s helicopter team. “The mood was fairly relaxed heading south… none of us believed it was ever going to happen…then Sandy Woodward briefed us… 'Look around amongst us because we might not all go home together…'” 

Mick was on the flightdeck on that fateful day, 25 May 1982, “…the order was given to turn to starboard...and that's when it happened, the bombs came in…they exploded, it was just like we'd bee...

What was a submarine doing in a war to retake The Falkland Islands? “...the ability to land and recover Special Forces…SAS and SBS, was key.” We hear the fascinating and poignant story of HMS Onyx, the only diesel-electric boat that Served during the war. Submariner, Steve Hussey, was there and shares his unique insight, from beneath the waves, “None of this is done in daylight…surveillance takes place beforehand…if all the conditions are right…getting…as close as you can get these guys and surface them, then it's very quick…open up the submarine and get these guys off…then dive...

“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 behind, everyone was just loaded-up with as much ammunition as they could take…” 

Amidst the danger, British humour and stoicism...

“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 from trade and requisitioned. But, how did they come to play critical roles in a war 8,000 miles away? We hear from Keith Thompson of MV Norland, who...

“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. 

Flagship HMS Hermes was in a state of disrepair, “…an assisted maintenance period in Portsmouth Royal Dockyard. From the top of her main mast right down to her flightdeck, she w...

“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 years of hurt, “The Daily Mail headline, ‘Shamed’…The Sun, ‘Surrender’. Ray hopes that the record will finally be set straight, “What I want, is an acknowledgement...

“…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, becoming a foreign correspondent for The Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph specialising in terrorism and war, “… as a journalist, generally speaking, you're sort of against authority, you're trying to find out things you...

“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 of windows and I was just kind of smitten… (laughs)”

 So, about that banter, “The RAF Regiment gets a lot of ribbing from the Army and the Marines, but they real...

“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 could've had.”

 Months of being unemployed followed leading Peter joined the Reserves, “I kept my rank. I went straight in… and they put me on the Royal Navy officer training team.…...

“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 of HIV for people in the UK today, I can do whatever I want and I put no one...

“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 longer fitted. Thankfully, times have changed. 

With ‘secret communications’, the handover of Hong Kong, a James Bond premiere event and working on the Bicentennial of the Battle o...

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”… “Spend more time working on myself”… “work towards what I'm going to do post the military”… “asking for help, I need to be much better at it.” 

“Next...

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't fit.’ But it just didn't seem relevant… the only people I thought might be gay were Larry Grayson and perhaps John Inman, and quite frankly, I didn't identify with those people. But what I did identify wi...

“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 trained them and that was our party piece... So for these big receptions, I remember doing one in Quebec and one in Montreal… we'd finish it off with this display of The Sailo...

“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 Marines Charity (RNRMC) and how it’s prepared him for his epic cycle challenge across America next year with Stars and Spokes buddy and fellow Royal Navy Air Crew...

“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 goal of being a Mountain Leader, had another epiphany, “Be a storyteller… I thought, ‘Acting... that's a form of story-telling isn't it?’”

Fast-forward 3 years and Tip graduated with an acting degree. Enter, The...

“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 eclectic mix as well… you've got eccentrics, heathen kings, warriors, intellectuals, loose cannons; a real mix of people from all backgrounds and all united under the green lid.”

Transitioning fr...