I Was A Child Soldier (Season 4, Ep 7)

When he was just 14, Wayne Sharrocks realised he wanted to join the Army - within a year, he’d begun the process of signing up to serve his country. At 18, he had his regimental cap badge tattooed on to his chest. In this searingly honest interview with Olly, he describes how the Army broke him down and built him back up again; training him to follow orders without question and desensitising him to violence. In postings to Afghanistan he saw courage, commitment - and life-changing injuries. Britain is the only European country to recruit child soldiers. Wayne now campaigns for the enlistment age to be raised: you can find out more about that at veteransforpeace.org. And you can discover more about him, and the documentary film he’s crowdfunding, on his website waynesharrocks.com. Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart explains the purpose of a ‘high performance chicken’, undergoes a significant life-change, and reveals the Pervert Capital of Britain. Down the Foxhole this week, Alix Fox rejoices at the expansion of sex education in UK schools, and explores the world of the ‘furry fandom’ and ‘yiff’ erotic art. The Foxhole is supported by our friends at mycondom.com. Want to stock up on condoms, lube or toys? Just use the code ‘Foxhole’ at Checkout to get 15% off. Finally, our Song Of The Week is ‘All Or Nothing’ by Kove and Joseph J Jones, available to stream now. See You Next Tuesday! Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Ollie Peart, Alix Fox. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: 'Skies Over Cairo' by Django Django. Graphic Design: Jenny Mann Design. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2017. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices