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A veteran interview with

George Floyd

George Floyd was a [LSA ] Leading Stores Assistant on the frigate HMS Loring.

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About George Floyd

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Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker

Copyright:
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Home | Veterans | George Floyd

A veteran interview with

George Floyd

Screenshot

George Floyd was a [LSA ] Leading Stores Assistant on the frigate HMS Loring.

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https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-floyd/

Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Floyd, George. A Veteran Interview with George Floyd. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 21 Feb. 2014 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-floyd/. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
APA Style:
Floyd, G. (2014, February 21). A Veteran Interview with George Floyd [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved May 18, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-floyd/
Chicago Style:
Floyd, George. 2014. A Veteran Interview with George Floyd. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, February 21. Accessed May 18, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-floyd/
Harvard Style:
Floyd, G. (2014). A Veteran Interview with George Floyd. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 21 February. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-floyd/ (Accessed: 18 May 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Floyd, G. A Veteran Interview with George Floyd [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2014 Feb 21 [cited 2025 May 18]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-floyd/
An interview with

Harry Card

From his vantage point as lookout on HMS Swift, Harry Card witnessed some of the most incredible scenes of WWII.

On the same day a 16-year-old Harry Card was turned away from the Army for being underage, he was signed up to the Navy by a passing chief petty officer, and so began his death-defying military career. Harry joined HMS Swift, an S-class destroyer, in late 1943 and set sail on the Arctic convoys. He describes the Arctic’s mountainous seas in terrifying detail, and recalls various hair-raising moments of his service including submarine attacks, clearing ice from the ship’s masts, and Operation Tungsten: the Navy air raid that targeted the German battleship Tirpitz. Later on in the war, HMS Swift was on the front line of the D-Day landings. Harry vividly recalls the opening bombardment as they sat poised off Sword Beach in Normandy, before describing the exact moment the ship was struck by an oyster mine and split clean in half. Despite the sinking of the Swift, Harry survived and was given six weeks to recover, after which he set sail once more.  This time he was on HMS Odzani, heading for the Far East where he embarked on further convoy duties and assisted in the liberation of Hong Kong and Singapore.
Photo Gallery icon 9 Photos
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Harriet Wright

Harriet Wright talks about her service as a Wren and being based in the Orkneys towards the end of the second world war.

Harriet Wight was living in the countryside in North East Scotland at the outbreak of war and recalls seeing an enemy aircraft drop a bomb over Aberdeen. It was then she decided ‘to do her bit’ and joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS). After a medical in Dundee she did her initial basic training at Balloch on the edge of Loch Lomond and began her duties as a messenger. She was eventually posted to Ilfracombe in Devon as a signaller and was involved in taking and logging signals which at that time mainly related to noting casualties from the North African campaign in 1943. Harriet moved on to operating telephone switchboards after a period of training and was posted to Hatston on the Orkneys, close to the vital naval base of Scapa Flow. Harriet spoke of meeting her future husband, who was a sailor involved in Arctic and Atlantic convoys, and how she never concerned about the danger he was in until she found out that an American soldier pen-friend of hers had been killed in Belgium and then the reality of war hit home. Harriet concluded by saying how very proud she was of having been a Wren. 
Photo Gallery icon 15 Photos
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Colin ‘Sam’ Smee

Falklands submariner recalls life onboard HMS Spartan as a Sonar Operator

Colin Smee, better known as Sam, joined the Navy in 1960 and became a Submariner. He joined HMS Spartan (S-90), a Swiftsure-class nuclear-powered submarine and served in the Falklands War.
In his amusing interview, he praises Captain James ‘Buck’ Taylor for fostering a positive atmosphere on the Spartan, which was put through rigorous training. In early April 1982 Sam learns of a new operation via the onboard 'telephone'. He details life on the Spartan, including the concern over the indefinite Falklands deployment and the impact of the sinking of the Argentinian Cruiser Belgrano. As a Sonar Operator, Sam explains his duties and the equipment used, operating under London rather than Task Force commander Admiral Sandy Woodward. He humorously recalls the lack of celebration post-war until they reached Plymouth and the impact of a fresh food delivery of strawberries.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker