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A veteran interview with

Harriet Wright

Harriet Wright gives a lovely account of her time as a Siganller in the Wrens. Stationed in Ilfracombe she would receive signals from North Africa…

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About Harriet Wright

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. 

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Gary Washbrook

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

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Home | Veterans | Harriet Wright

A veteran interview with

Harriet Wright

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Harriet Wright gives a lovely account of her time as a Siganller in the Wrens. Stationed in Ilfracombe she would receive signals from North Africa…

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Wright, Harriet. A Veteran Interview with Harriet Wright. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 2 May. 2014 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/harriet-wright/. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
APA Style:
Wright, H. (2014, May 2). A Veteran Interview with Harriet Wright [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/harriet-wright/
Chicago Style:
Wright, Harriet. 2014. A Veteran Interview with Harriet Wright. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, May 2. Accessed February 14, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/harriet-wright/
Harvard Style:
Wright, H. (2014). A Veteran Interview with Harriet Wright. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 2 May. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/harriet-wright/ (Accessed: 14 February 2026)
Vancouver Style:
Wright, H. A Veteran Interview with Harriet Wright [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2014 May 2 [cited 2026 Feb 14]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/harriet-wright/
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