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Bernie-Dolan

A veteran interview with

Bernadette Dolan

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About Bernadette Dolan

Bernie’s interview begins with her retelling the story of how she never wanted to join the army, but as she was too short to join the police, she found herself at the army recruitment office instead.

She was posted to Mill Hill in London to train with the postal and courier services. Bernie handled classified mail and transported important documents during the height of the Cold War and IRA threats. In 1978 Bernie was posted to Northern Ireland where she was flown with mail to different barracks and sites all over the country. She remembers experiencing an explosion in the barracks, and in that moment realising that no one was safe from the bombings.

After Ireland, Bernie returned to Mill Hill, then Dusseldorf where she ran a post office on the Rhine. She was then posted to the Falklands and responsible for organising soldier’s mail as it came into the port. On her return home she was promoted to Quartermaster, and later Sergeant Quartermaster in the Royal Artillery Regiment in Warwickshire. It was at this point in her career that she began to feel the WRAC shifting, and was sad to leave in 1994 when the Corps disbanded.

Bernie shares her story because she believes it is important to document history and portray what has happened in the past.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Evie Painter
Transcribed by:
Isobel T

Transcripts:
Please note that transcripts and closed captions in the video player are automatically generated by Vimeo.

If you would like a version of the transcript that has been transcribed manually by Isobel T, please complete this form or email info@legasee.org.uk.

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Home | Veterans | Bernadette Dolan

A veteran interview with

Bernadette Dolan

Bernie-Dolan

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Dolan, Bernadette. A Veteran Interview with Bernadette Dolan. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 22 Mar. 2024 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernadette-dolan/. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
APA Style:
Dolan, B. (2024, March 22). A Veteran Interview with Bernadette Dolan [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved March 6, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernadette-dolan/
Chicago Style:
Dolan, Bernadette. 2024. A Veteran Interview with Bernadette Dolan. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, March 22. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernadette-dolan/
Harvard Style:
Dolan, B. (2024). A Veteran Interview with Bernadette Dolan. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 22 March. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernadette-dolan/ (Accessed: 6 March 2026)
Vancouver Style:
Dolan, B. A Veteran Interview with Bernadette Dolan [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2024 Mar 22 [cited 2026 Mar 6]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernadette-dolan/
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Photo Gallery icon 15 Photos
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