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A veteran interview with

Bill Price

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About Bill Price

Bill’s military career began in 1938, when he decided to volunteer for the Territorial Army (TA). After three years for the TA, he decided to join the 76th Anti-Aircraft Brigade Royal Artillery. Bill recalled how he was trained to use 40mm Bofor guns at various sites around the U.K., before being sent to a Marine base in Oban, Scotland to prepare for the D-Day invasion. From here, Bill boarded the Innerton, a Merchant ship which carried him to Normandy, where it was to be intentionally sunk as part of the effort to form a breakwater for one of the Mulberry Harbours.

Bill was soon promoted to the Naval ship HMS Despatch, where he was charged with protecting one of the portable harbours using both anti-aircraft guns and torpedoes. After the success of the Normandy campaign, Bill was briefly deployed as an infantryman in Antwerp where he served alongside Canadian soldiers to defend against potential German parachute attacks. The interview culminates with Bill fondly recalling drinking rum on the HMS Despatch in celebration of his 30th Birthday.

Bill’s military experience highlights the role of anti-aircraft regiments and gives us a unique insight into the construction and defence of the Mulberry Harbours during the Normandy campaign.

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Reviewed by:
Ed Thorns

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

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Home | Veterans | Bill Price

A veteran interview with

Bill Price

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Price, Bill. A Veteran Interview with Bill Price. Interview by Unknown. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bill-price/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
APA Style:
Price, B. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Bill Price [Interview by Unknown]. Legasee. Retrieved November 15, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bill-price/
Chicago Style:
Price, Bill. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Bill Price. Interview by Unknown. Legasee. Accessed November 15, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bill-price/
Harvard Style:
Price, B. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Bill Price. [Interviewed by Unknown]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bill-price/ (Accessed: 15 November 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Price, B. A Veteran Interview with Bill Price [Internet]. Interview by Unknown. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2025 Nov 15]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/bill-price/
An interview with

Freddie Montgomery

From serving in the Women's Royal Auxiliary Service to later becoming a Minister, Freddie speaks about her experiences during the Berlin Airlift

Freddie Montgomery recounts her experience in Germany during the Berlin airlift, from being assigned overseas when she was nineteen to the eventual lifting of the blockade during her tenure in the WRAC. Although she initially wanted to become a military policewoman, a position opened overseas, sending her to Germany and then, eventually, Berlin to help during the blockade. Freddie recalls her time in Berlin, primarily working in administration, and her sympathy towards struggling elder Germans, fear of Russian soldiers, and the lack of food during the airlifts. Nevertheless, Freddie reminisces on her time in Berlin with fondness, and explains how the Germans largely welcomed British troops, socialising with other sectors, and enjoying cultural activities like visiting the cinema and playing sports when she wasn't working. Later in life, Freddie became a minister in the Church, which was a choice heavily inspired by her experiences working during the airlift. Despite loving her time in Berlin, Freddie remembers the poverty she saw, and the amount of loved ones she saw die. Freddie's work as a minister still brings her in contact with the Berlin blockade today, as she recounts how she met some German people in the cathedral who expressed gratitude for British aid during the Berlin blockade, and Freddie is similarly aware of the impact of the airlift on her today.
An interview with

John Bowler

John Bowler was a 19-year old officer when he joined the Korean war. He gives an in-depth account of front-line fighting on the "Hook" ridge, Hill 355 and intense day and night-time raids and patrols. John also recounts how he won the Military Cross for his incredible bravery.

John was drafted into the Army and, upon becoming a commissioned officer in the Royal Welsh Regiment, chose Jamaica as his dream destination. Fate chose Folkstone's barracks for John instead. He explains how his strong relationship with his platoon commander, rugby and the British weather - but not its terrain - prepared them for Korea. John then fondly recounts travelling and being posted to Hong Kong in 1951, aged 19, and explains how "Tuffy" the goat mascot deeply affected Welsh servicemen's morale! Most men had never left Wales, so they brought Welsh hymns with them as they landed in Pusan. John recalls acclimatising to a country and people devastated by war. Posted on the "Hook" ridge frontline, John gives a colourful depiction of the British defensive positions and cooking with petrol. He recalls his first (very) close enemy contact and the Chinese army's professionalism. John fought fiercely on Hill 169. He explains what night-time fighting was like and how his company fought their way out of a Chinese encirclement. John poignantly reflects on how the love for his men often trumped his fear of death. John shares a heart-racing encounter with a numerically superior enemy and how British artillery helped them escape into no man's land. John explains how the unreliable Sten gun hindered their retreat and how an act of god saved his men. On another dreaded daylight patrol, John shares a heart-breaking memory of how a well-placed mortar killed two of his men. There were always two other enemies, the cold weather and hills, and John explains how they were fought. John's platoon was then posted to Hill 355. John recalls a night-time raid behind enemy lines and how his men kept their discipline under unimaginable terror, and how he won the Military cross. He also speaks of keeping his humanity during war. Korea gave John clarity on life's important things and a steadfast resilience to its challenges. He also got nightmares and a lifelong grief for his fallen men. John is testament to the British soldier's camaraderie, honesty and resilience in the face of unimaginable challenges.
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Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

George Batts

From the Sussex countryside to Normandy: George recalls the ‘daft’ decision to volunteer in the lead up to D-Day.

At only 17, George Batts, MBE, Leg d’Hon enlisted for military service, hoping like many others his age that it would make him a hero. From an ex-schoolboy in the Sussex countryside to a Corporal in the Royal Engineers, life for George changed dramatically when he volunteered himself for special duties, where he was trained on fitness, booby traps, and how to dismantle mines. Although he enjoyed the physical intensity of his training, George soon experienced the first hand 'organised chaos' of Normandy, after landing at Gold Beach in total darkness on board a Landing Ship Infantry. He recalls the terrible storm, the sound of gunfire, and later the sight of ambulances treating the long queues of wounded servicemen.  In this interview, George proudly describes his work on the Mulberry Harbours, before moving to a more front-line role in Belgium. On VE Day, while others celebrated, George knew he would soon be bound for India, to assist the continuing war effort in the Far East. Thirty two days later he arrived in Bombay, and afterwards sailed to Malaya, though was interrupted by the detonation of the atomic bombs in Japan before his arrival. Like many other veterans, here George describes himself as “one of the lucky ones”, and shares his hope for the future. Following the war, George was eventually made National Secretary of the Normandy Veterans Association, and served as an integral part of Legasee's Normandy project, ensuring that similar stories will never be forgotten. 
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker