Originally a farmer’s son from Staffordshire Flight Sergeant Edgar (Ed) Meddings became interested in planes after his brother took him to a flying display. From them on he knew he wanted to become a pilot. Ed joined the air force in 1939 where he started as an armourer. After operational training in Bramcote, and transformative flight training in South Africa, he became a leading aircraftman and acting sergeant. Further opportunities led Ed to flying for a Wellington squadron, operating in Greece and Italy. Ed talks fondly about the camaraderie on the crew of his bomber, and remembers being shot at “pretty well every flight”, but also recalls never being hit. After the war Ed became a link instructor and transporter planes pilot; a role which he continued until 1968 when he left the RAF and became a civil pilot. Ed talks about his experiences dealing with the effects of war, including the death of a good friend and the distress at losing people close to him. However he remembers his war with stoicism, feeling lucky to have survived. His poignant reflection of the war was that “we did what we had to do”.

Marcel Jaurant-Singer joined the French Resistance in 1941. In 1942, he was sent across the Pyrenees and was transported – with the help of Allied operatives – to England, where he would be trained as a Special Operations Executive (SOE). Upon arrival in England, Marcel was sent to Commando training in Scotland, before returning to England to complete his wireless training at Thame park – he managed all this despite not speaking a word of English. In March 1944, Marcel was parachuted back into France where he quickly established an undercover network. Marcel goes on to recount his life as a wireless operator, outlining the cat and mouse game of avoiding detection by German troops – including the need to cycle up to 60km per day! Marcel’s contact with London in the build up to D-Day resulted in him taking charge of arming and training 350 men to prepare for the invasion. He talks in detail of how they used the existing infrastructure of secret caves and hills from WW1 to carry out these operations. Marcel’s interview ends with a brief discussion of his experience working alongside female SOE agents. This completes a fascinating insight into the structure of secret operations in occupied France and the development of French resistance forces in the build-up to D-Day.