Chris Finney GC joins Matt Limb to reflect on an extraordinary life shaped by service, courage and purpose. From a happy childhood in Dorset, a love of sport, time in the Army cadets and an early determination to join the Army, Chris traces his journey through Harrogate and Bovington into the Household Cavalry, before deployment to Iraq in 2003 at just eighteen years of age.

In a rare and deeply personal conversation, Chris speaks about the events of 28 March 2003, the action for which he was awarded the George Cross and the life-changing consequences that followed. He reflects not only on bravery, injury and recovery, but also on the weight of recognition, the realities of life in the Army afterwards and the quieter path he has built since; beyond the uniform and beyond the medal. But today, as Chairman of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association, Chris helps carry forward the legacy of our highest awards for gallantry, while promoting their values through education, remembrance and charitable work. Chris’s story is one of quiet resilience, service and perspective.

I sat with Pete Cook for this interview just weeks after his 100th birthday, reflecting on a life that has spanned a century of change. Growing up on the family farm in Bedfordshire, he left home as a young man to join the Royal Navy during the Second World War, a decision that would take him far beyond the fields he knew.

In this episode, Pete shares his memories of VE Day, the surrender of German U-boats in the Irish Sea, and then his journey to the Far East, where he witnessed the surrender of Japanese forces on remote islands. Returning to the farm after the war, his story is one of quiet resilience and a life shaped by service, both in uniform and at home on the farm.

Chris Randall grew up in a family where military service spanned generations. His father served with the Royal Green Jackets, while both his grandfather and great-grandfather served in the World Wars. Continuing that legacy, Chris first joined the Royal Air Force Regiment as a gunner before being commissioned into the Army, as his service took him to Northern Ireland, Germany, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands and Iraq.

Chris also reflects on his time within the Personal Recovery Units, supporting soldiers recovering from illness and injury as they worked towards returning to operational service. Drawing on decades of experience across different branches of the armed forces and wider public service, including time in a police operational control room and service with the Coastguard, Chris shares some thoughtful and hard-earned lessons from a lifetime of service.