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Alec-Pulfer

A veteran interview with

Alec Pulfer

A character who served on HMS Woolwich in the Mediterranean during the second world war.

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About Alec Pulfer

Alec Victor Ashcroft Pulfer was conscripted into the Royal Navy in August 1939, just before World War II. Despite his reluctance to join the Royal Navy, he decided to see the war through. After four months of signalman training, he joined HMS Javelin in Southend on Sea. He struggled with Morse code but eventually mastered it, finding Morse code and semaphore crucial for his daily duties.

In the Battle for Norway, Alec and his crew faced a disaster when their transport ship was torpedoed by the Germans and sank, leaving them unable to save anyone while they hunted the attacking submarine. They retreated to Alesund, where German paratroopers attacked, but HMS Javelin managed to return to England. Unfortunately, HMS Glorious and other ships were not as fortunate. Alec then joined HMS Woolwich, heading to the Mediterranean fleet.

After two years in the Mediterranean, HMS Woolwich survived despite losing most of its fleet. Alec returned home for signals training before heading back to the Middle East, where he fought in the Greek civil war, his worst experience. He remembers seeing people die, describing it as very grim, but it was something he got used to. But he never got used to seeing civilians dying, that was a common occurrence in Greece, as the Germans had mined everywhere before they left. Alec was tasked with safely routing ships in and out of Greece. Eventually, the war ended and Alec returned home and was demobbed (released from service).

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Reviewed by:
Jake Woods

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Home | Veterans | Alec Pulfer

A veteran interview with

Alec Pulfer

Alec-Pulfer

A character who served on HMS Woolwich in the Mediterranean during the second world war.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Pulfer, Alec. A Veteran Interview with Alec Pulfer. Interview by Unknown. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/alec-pulfer/. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.
APA Style:
Pulfer, A. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Alec Pulfer [Interview by Unknown]. Legasee. Retrieved April 27, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/alec-pulfer/
Chicago Style:
Pulfer, Alec. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Alec Pulfer. Interview by Unknown. Legasee. Accessed April 27, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/alec-pulfer/
Harvard Style:
Pulfer, A. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Alec Pulfer. [Interviewed by Unknown]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/alec-pulfer/ (Accessed: 27 April 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Pulfer, A. A Veteran Interview with Alec Pulfer [Internet]. Interview by Unknown. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2025 Apr 27]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/alec-pulfer/
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