Steve Corbett has had a lifelong interest in military history and the collecting of artefacts from the Great War. At the age of twelve he joined the local Army Cadet unit in Hulme, Manchester and remained a member until he decided to join the Regular Army in 1969.

After serving in Germany for two years – and completing two tours of duty in Northern Ireland – Steve finally left the Army in November 1974 and transferred to the reserves. He moved to Warrington with his wife Pam in 1977 and took up a career in the chemical industry. He retired early in 2001 and in 2008 decided to turn the diaries he kept while serving in Northern Ireland into a book: Belfast Diaries: A Gunner in Northern Ireland which was eventually published in July 2013 by Helion & Co. Steve still lives in Warrington where he spends much of his free time with his two daughters and two grandchildren.