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George-French

A veteran interview with

George French

George French served with the 2nd Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps.

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About George French

On the 6th May 1943, George French joined the 2nd Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps and trained in York before travelling to Southampton when he set off to land on Juno beach on D+3. In this interview, he shares the stories of his first day arriving on the mine-covered, chaotic beaches and the triumph of covering nearly 80 miles on the way to Caen to close the Falaise gap.

George tells how he had a “shoot and ask questions later” approach as he was a young man learning the horrors of war, even if at first it felt like an adventure. After sadly losing many friends that he had trained with, he was amongst the lucky 3 left surviving out his 30-man battalion. Until he is no longer able to, he ensures to attend ceremonies commemorating the fallen and continues to reminisce on the strong bonds that they had built together.

George reflects on the tough memories of his time as a soldier seeing those you know die and feeling as if you could have saved others. Despite being an upsetting account, George’s stoic manner and ease at storytelling allows for an interesting interview.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Brooke Piper
Transcribed by:
Nour Mostafa

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

If you would like a version of the transcript that has been transcribed manually by Nour Mostafa, please complete this form or email info@legasee.org.uk.

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Home | Veterans | George French

A veteran interview with

George French

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George French served with the 2nd Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corps.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
French, George. A Veteran Interview with George French. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-french/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
APA Style:
French, G. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with George French [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved April 23, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-french/
Chicago Style:
French, George. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with George French. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee. Accessed April 23, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-french/
Harvard Style:
French, G. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with George French. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-french/ (Accessed: 23 April 2026)
Vancouver Style:
French, G. A Veteran Interview with George French [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2026 Apr 23]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/george-french/
An interview with

Katherine McMullin

Katherine describes her time as a driver for the WRAC.

From a young age Katherine knew she wanted to travel and when offered the opportunity to join the Royal Corps of Transport, she signed with the army. At nineteen she left for Guildford and speaks fondly of her time at the training base, in particular her passing out parade which she describes as an incredibly surreal experience. Although her trade training was postponed due to the Mill Hill Bombing in 1988, she soon became part of the team at Bovington Training Centre that drove new officers fresh from Sandhurst who were on their Tactical Exercise Without Troops (TEWT) training. Later she was moved to Rheindahlen 68 Squadron where she met different soldiers from the UN and NATO and remembers this as the best tour she served whilst in the army. During this tour she witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall and contributed to the peacekeeping duties in Czechoslovakia. In 1991 Katherine recalls troops being sent to Iraq and the importance of her work behind the front lines in the rear party. She provides great detail of one particular mission which developed from an initial twenty-four hour drive to an almost three week task of shipping ammunition to the Gulf. From here she was posted to Northern Ireland where she worked as both a driver and searcher for IRA bombs. Following the disbandment of the WRAC Katherine returned to work in Germany with the onset of the Bosnian war, and worked as a driver until she left in 1995. Katherine's interview offers an insightful overview of different experiences of WRAC women and gives an authentic account of the many adversities women faced in the army.
Photo Gallery icon 19 Photos
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

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Alec Hall served with 181 Field Ambulance (Airborne) as a medical nurse

In 1940, aged 18, Alec Hall was one of the first people to volunteer for 1st Airborne. He was in the Royal Army Medical Corps training at Tidworth Hospital where he learned various medical skills, including delivering a baby. He excelled in sports, playing football and hockey for his unit, and placing 8th in a cross-country run for the British Southern Command. He then trained with gliders and served in an airborne hospital, often being loaned out to other units. Invariably in the thick if the action, he recalls his time in Oran, North Africa, and a trip through the Atlas Mountains. In Italy, attached to the Airborne Light Artillery, he describes intense action from a cemetary. He talks extensively about his role as a medic, the equipment he used, and being part of the first gliders to Arnhem in Operation Market Garden in September 1944.  Based in two hotels which were set up as hospitals, Alec treated wounded soldiers and vividly remembers giving two pints of his own blood to save Reg Curtis, who was operated on in the field. Eventually he was taken POW and sent to Stalag V11-B. Upon the war's end, Alec endured the Long march and stayed briefly at a local woman's house, listening to her recount her husband's shooting. After returning to the UK, Alec underwent medical checks and set a running record—a mile in just over 4 minutes. He revisited Tidworth Hospital before transferring to 102 Company in Dortmund Hospital, Germany. Alec passed away on October 16th, 2023
Photo Gallery icon 1 Photo
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker