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A veteran interview with

Jim Dimond

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About Jim Dimond

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Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker

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

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Home | Veterans | Jim Dimond

A veteran interview with

Jim Dimond

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Dimond, Jim. A Veteran Interview with Jim Dimond. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 28 Aug. 2014 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/jim-dimond/. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
APA Style:
Dimond, J. (2014, August 28). A Veteran Interview with Jim Dimond [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved November 18, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/jim-dimond/
Chicago Style:
Dimond, Jim. 2014. A Veteran Interview with Jim Dimond. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, August 28. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/jim-dimond/
Harvard Style:
Dimond, J. (2014). A Veteran Interview with Jim Dimond. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 28 August. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/jim-dimond/ (Accessed: 18 November 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Dimond, J. A Veteran Interview with Jim Dimond [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2014 Aug 28 [cited 2025 Nov 18]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/jim-dimond/
An interview with

Mervyn Salter

A Navy seaman gives an engaging account of his military service on board S-class destroyer HMS Saumarez during WWII.

Mervyn Salter, an able seaman and anti-aircraft gunner, joined the Royal Navy in 1942 at the age of 18. He trained at HMS Raleigh and HMS Drake before being assigned to his first ship, HMS Saumarez, an S-class destroyer. Mervyn recalls his life and duties aboard the ship, including his first voyage during which the Saumarez escorted the Queen Mary with Winston Churchill on board. He goes on to vividly describe the challenges of the Arctic convoys, sharing detailed memories of the harsh conditions, and later provides an engaging account of the Saumarez’s battle with the German battleship Scharnhorst. Mervyn also recounts the ship’s role in providing artillery support on D-Day, which remains a particularly difficult experience for him to talk about. In 1944 the Saumarez gained a new skipper and was promoted to flotilla leader, setting sail for the Pacific where a new ocean provided a new enemy. Mervyn’s reflections on his military service are testament to the courage, resilience and camaraderie that defined his time in the Royal Navy, and his closing words remind us that the events of the war and the sacrifices made by so many must never be forgotten.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
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.
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Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker