Hannah and I were out in Manchester. It was three days before Christmas. It was around 7pm. The pub was heaving already with revellers, out to enjoy themselves, plenty of laughter and conversation, full of Christmas spirit. At our table were the six friends I'd met previously, more than once by now. This time, four of them had their boyfriends with them, the other two were single and quite obviously looking for some fun. Whether just for the night or something a little longer, only they'd know.

The four boyfriends knew I was on the verge of joining the Royal Marines Commando. There was a mixture of respect and, not...