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A veteran interview with

Leslie Fernandez

Leslie Fernandez was a fit man when he was young. He loved sports and was good at them. Exactly the sort of chap that would catch the eye of SOE!

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About Leslie Fernandez

For the first few years of the war, Leslie Fernandez was an Army Physical Training Corps instructor who trained SOE candidates in Hertfordshire and Manchester (parachuting). He was then invited by Colonel Munn to become an operative, deploying to SE France in July 1944; when the American landed there in August 1944, his group moved to Italy to help the partisans prevent the Germans in Italy from interfering with American operations.

He provides a hugely detailed and modestly understated account of SOE operations (he does not mention his Military Medal or Croix de Guerre), starting with selection for different roles and his insertion by parachute, weighed down by weapons and equipment. He focuses heavily on little-known operations in the mountains between France and Italy, gathering explosives from his cache in a bakery, blowing up roads and negotiating the surrender of 80 Germans to 5 SOE. He also talks about the challenges of communication and receiving resupplies in harsh conditions where they were often isolated, as well as the psychological pressure of warfare and seeing people executed. He has fond memories and recalls the bravery of those involved, especially as he married a woman from the region, who was a courier.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martyn Cox
Reviewed by:
Andy Voase

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

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Home | Veterans | Leslie Fernandez

A veteran interview with

Leslie Fernandez

Leslie-Fernandez-Still

Leslie Fernandez was a fit man when he was young. He loved sports and was good at them. Exactly the sort of chap that would catch the eye of SOE!

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Fernandez, Leslie. A Veteran Interview with Leslie Fernandez. Interview by Martyn Cox. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/leslie-fernandez/. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
APA Style:
Fernandez, L. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Leslie Fernandez [Interview by Martyn Cox]. Legasee. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/leslie-fernandez/
Chicago Style:
Fernandez, Leslie. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Leslie Fernandez. Interview by Martyn Cox. Legasee. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/leslie-fernandez/
Harvard Style:
Fernandez, L. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Leslie Fernandez. [Interviewed by Martyn Cox]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/leslie-fernandez/ (Accessed: 8 March 2026)
Vancouver Style:
Fernandez, L. A Veteran Interview with Leslie Fernandez [Internet]. Interview by M. Cox. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2026 Mar 8]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/leslie-fernandez/
An interview with

Fred Millward

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Service:
Interviewed by:
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