Home | Veterans | David Carpenter
David-Carpenter-web

A veteran interview with

David Carpenter

David Carpenter served with 41 Independent Commando in Korea. He provides a detailed account of his time as a young man on the Northern Islands.

Play video
Watch the interview

About David Carpenter

David comes from a military background, his father and two older brothers served during WWII. He enlisted into the Navy in 1949 for seven years. He recounts a year of arduous basic training, which carried the risk of being “back-squadded” for failing. Although tough, David valued his training and was determined to succeed. Gaining the green beret was the proudest moment of David’s life. He began active duty in Korea, defending Wonson Harbour on Yodo Island in 4-1 commandos. He manned the heavy artillery, working alongside American counterparts to defend the island from enemy incursions. This also involved raids to disable strategic infrastructure.

He enjoyed the opportunities for R&R in Japan and spent time there after peace was declared. David returned to the UK, following which he spent 3-month tours of duty in many areas including the Caribbean, often in guard duty roles on-board ship. David recounts happy memories of this time. Finally, David was stationed first in Malta, in charge of weapons stores and then in a similar role in Cyprus during the struggle for independence. It was while on duty that David was suddenly told to leave as his 7 years were up.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Jenny La Fontaine Papadopoulos
Transcribed by:
Katie Clark

Copyright:
All video content, web site design, graphics, images (including submitted content), text, the selection and arrangement thereof, underlying source code, software and all other material on this Web site are the copyright of Legasee Educational Trust, and its affiliates, or their content and technology providers. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials on this Web site – including reproduction for purposes other than those noted above, modification, distribution, or republication – without the prior written permission of Legasee Educational Trust is strictly prohibited.

Home | Veterans | David Carpenter

A veteran interview with

David Carpenter

David-Carpenter-web

David Carpenter served with 41 Independent Commando in Korea. He provides a detailed account of his time as a young man on the Northern Islands.

Related topics & talking points

Veteran gallery

Photos & memories

Keep on watching

More veteran stories...

Share this interview on:

https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/david-carpenter/

Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Carpenter, David. A Veteran Interview with David Carpenter. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 8 Nov. 2017 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/david-carpenter/. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
APA Style:
Carpenter, D. (2017, November 8). A Veteran Interview with David Carpenter [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved May 25, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/david-carpenter/
Chicago Style:
Carpenter, David. 2017. A Veteran Interview with David Carpenter. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, November 8. Accessed May 25, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/david-carpenter/
Harvard Style:
Carpenter, D. (2017). A Veteran Interview with David Carpenter. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 8 November. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/david-carpenter/ (Accessed: 25 May 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Carpenter, D. A Veteran Interview with David Carpenter [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2017 Nov 8 [cited 2025 May 25]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/david-carpenter/
An interview with

Cornelius Snelling

Cornelius Snelling recalls his WWII naval service aboard anti-submarine patrol ships in the North Atlantic, the Arctic and the English Channel.

After serving in the Home Guard and experiencing bombing in the blitz in London, Cornelius Snelling was conscripted into the Royal Navy in 1942 and carried out his basic training on HMS Ganges at Shotley. From his port division, Chatham, he was assigned his first posting, as a Bosun’s mate, to a newly commissioned ship docked at Glasgow, HMS Wild Goose, a Black Swan-class sloop. HMS Wild Goose specialised in anti-submarine patrols in the North Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay and Snelling took part in some of the ship's most notable actions, including the renowned "six in one trip" in 1943, which saw HMS Wild Goose, alongside other Bird-class sloops, sink six German U-boats in a single patrol. Snelling’s final journey aboard HMS Wild Goose was participating in an Arctic convoy to Murmansk and he describes the extreme conditions. In 1944, Snelling transferred to HMS Tyler, an American-built frigate on loan to the Royal Navy. HMS Tyler conducted patrol and escort missions in the North Atlantic and the English Channel, where it also escorted landing craft and supply ships during the D-Day invasion of the Normandy beaches. Snelling's service concluded in October 1945 when he steamed with HMS Tyler back to the United States, where the ship was returned to the US Navy.
Photo Gallery icon 12 Photos
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Fred Estall

Trying not to think about the U-boats: keeping busy as a gunner aboard a Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship in WWII.

With a long-held ambition to join the Navy, Fred Estall keenly awaited the arrival of his call-up papers, which sent him first to Pwllheli in north Wales for initial sea training and then to HMS Wellesley in Liverpool for gun training. He passed out as a DEMS gunner (Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship) and went to Nova Scotia – via HMS Belfast and RMS Queen Mary – to join the crew of a Merchant Navy oil tanker. Fred talks about life on board, describing the extra work available to anyone willing to get his hands dirty – which he always was, not only because he could earn more money, but also because keeping busy helped him keep his mind off the U-boats. He explains the stark difference between the atmosphere of camaraderie in the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy, and talks about the distinct lack of entertainment onboard a merchant ship. Recalling heavy seas, storms and the huge expanse of ocean, Fred’s memories bring vividly to life what it was like to move from tanker to tanker while the world was at war, keeping allied ships fuelled from 1940 – 1944.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Dennis Whitehead

Dennis Whitehead’s service on HMS Cassandra included Gunnery Control training, surviving a torpedo strike and seeing Hiroshima’s aftermath.

Dennis joined the Royal Navy in 1943, opting for sailor life over the army as a Margate boy with salt in his veins. He trained in Gunnery Control, specialising in an early radar technology for controlling ship guns. This was a cutting-edge skill at the time. Assigned to the newly commissioned HMS Cassandra, Dennis quickly bonded with his fellow crew members, becoming a close-knit fighting force. He recalls how, on the open sea, morale hinged on comradeship and the comforts of “canteen messing." Dennis’s first convoy was in 1944, when the Allies had started to turn the tables. His second Russian convoy brought disaster when a torpedo hit Cassandra’s bow, miraculously failing to sink the ship. Unfortunately, sixty-two of Dennis’s fellow sailors were lost – a tragedy that deeply affected him. He returned to Chatham Barracks on survivor’s leave but was later sent to the Far East. Here he observed the devastation at Hiroshima, a saddening reminder of the war’s impact. Dennis shared his eye-opening experiences in a series of interviews hosted by the Margate Blue Nose Club. An enlightening experience for those present.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker