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A veteran interview with

George Barnes

George Barnes had spent his child hood playing around on the harbours and beaches of his native Cornwall. In 1950 he was conscripted and sent to Korea

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About George Barnes

George describes his WWII childhood in Cornwall, leaving school at 14 and working as an apprentice for the General Post Office (GPO). Conscripted into the army’s Royal Corps of Signals aged 19, he remembers training camp instructors’ hostility and his lasting camaraderie with trainees from all backgrounds.

He recalls seeing other countries and nationalities for the first time during his 28-day journey to Korea, becoming emotional while reflecting upon his arrival in Pusan, where he saw refugees facing extreme poverty and the ravages of war.

As a wireless operator, George drove reconnaissance vehicles around the Imjin River. At night, he scraped sleeping holes into hillsides or slept under the stars, always missing home but never frightened. He conveys the stench of war, the whistling of shell fire overhead, the suffocating heat of the dusty summer and the sometimes-fatal blistering winter cold. He reminisces fondly about the Korean nation and the feeling of returning home to Penzance.

George’s depiction of wartime smells, sights and sounds show the enduring intensity of veterans’ memories even decades later. His interview highlights how, for some, deployment was the adventure of a lifetime that took them to otherwise inaccessible corners of the world.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Natasha Norris

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

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Home | Veterans | George Barnes

A veteran interview with

George Barnes

georgeBarnes

George Barnes had spent his child hood playing around on the harbours and beaches of his native Cornwall. In 1950 he was conscripted and sent to Korea

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Barnes, George. A Veteran Interview with George Barnes. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 27 Mar. 2012 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-barnes/. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
APA Style:
Barnes, G. (2012, March 27). A Veteran Interview with George Barnes [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-barnes/
Chicago Style:
Barnes, George. 2012. A Veteran Interview with George Barnes. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, March 27. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-barnes/
Harvard Style:
Barnes, G. (2012). A Veteran Interview with George Barnes. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 27 March. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-barnes/ (Accessed: 8 March 2026)
Vancouver Style:
Barnes, G. A Veteran Interview with George Barnes [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2012 Mar 27 [cited 2026 Mar 8]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-barnes/
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Signalling from behind the front line, John Booth contributed effectively as a Wireless Operator for the Royal Signals during the Korean War.

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