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A veteran interview with

Bernard Clarke

Bernard Clarke was a Corporal in the Royal Norfolk Regiment. As an Infantryman he took part in numerous foot patrols. It was a far cry from his…

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About Bernard Clarke

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Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker

Transcripts:
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Home | Veterans | Bernard Clarke

A veteran interview with

Bernard Clarke

Bernard-Clarke

Bernard Clarke was a Corporal in the Royal Norfolk Regiment. As an Infantryman he took part in numerous foot patrols. It was a far cry from his…

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https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernard-clarke/

Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Clarke, Bernard. A Veteran Interview with Bernard Clarke. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernard-clarke/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
APA Style:
Clarke, B. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Bernard Clarke [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved November 15, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernard-clarke/
Chicago Style:
Clarke, Bernard. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Bernard Clarke. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee. Accessed November 15, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernard-clarke/
Harvard Style:
Clarke, B. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Bernard Clarke. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernard-clarke/ (Accessed: 15 November 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Clarke, B. A Veteran Interview with Bernard Clarke [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2025 Nov 15]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bernard-clarke/
An interview with

Geoff Grimley

A light-hearted recollection of a young Signalman's journey far-East with the 28th Brigade at the beginning of the Korean War.

Growing up in Cosford during the Second World War, Geoffrey Grimley became familiar with military surroundings from a young age. School geography lessons instilled in him an interest in Japan, and when conscription came at 19 years old, he registered with a preference to be stationed in the far-East. Geoffrey's childhood near an RAF base discouraged him from the airforce, so he instead became listed as a Signalman. The 6-month training period Geoffrey completed in Catterick taught him to decipher up to 14 words of Morse Code per minute. After a single excursion to a firing range, Geoffrey boarded a Devonshire 'Bibby Line' to Singapore. The journey took six weeks, and just a few weeks after his arrival, he journeyed on to Hong Kong. One bad winter later, Geoffrey left Kowloon Harbour to the sound of the Royal Ulster Rifles Pipe Band for the final leg of his journey to Korea. He arrived with the Kings Own Scottish Borderers on St. George's Day, 1951. Geoffrey recalls unsettled weather, mischievous tank drivers, and entertainment within his Brigade, including a boxing match between the KOSBs and a professional Filipino sportsman. Geoffrey was soon stationed at the Battle of Kapyong. Geoffrey's interview was cut short before sharing further details of his service due to his feeling unwell, but the beginning of his story creates a vivid, and at times, humorous, picture of his journey to becoming a Signalman.
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Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Douglas Hassall

A narrow escape from being executed after spending three and a half years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.

Douglas Hassall shares how he narrowly escaped a death sentence after spending three and a half years as one of Japan’s prisoners of war during World War 2. Douglas accepted early on that escaping would be foolish as any escapees were executed; the camp being located in Vietnam also left the nearest allies 1100 miles away.  The Japanese employed beatings and other instantaneous punishments, something alien to a British soldier like Douglas, their neglectful medical care equally as shocking to him. Despite his horrible treatment Douglas highlights how incredibly lucky he was as the other camps had prisoners sleeping outside with no access to clean water. The few lenient guards allowed them to hold concerts and church services however over time the Japanese replaced them with cruel guards who murdered the prisoners’ pets.    Douglas got his first hint of freedom after a British interpreter secretly told him that allies were closing in, both of them unaware that Japan’s prisoners of war were all destined to die. Prison labour had halted and transportation of prisoners to the execution site had begun when the second atomic bomb fell forcing Japan to free everyone at the very last second.  Unfortunately Douglas’ release was bittersweet due to the plane transporting one of his friends back to England crashing killing everyone on board.   
Service:
Interviewed by:
Rebecca Fleckney