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A veteran interview with

Lise de Baissac

Lise Villameur (née de Baissac), was one of the first two female agents to be parachuted into France by SOE in WWII. Her bravado and character shine through in this wonderful interview conducted by the oral historian Martyn Cox and Ailsa Montagu [nee Camm].

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About Lise de Baissac

Lise de Baissac was a British citizen who was born in Mauritius but moved to Paris at 15. In 1940 she fled to Cannes and travelled via Portugal to London, where a cousin put her in contact with SOE. She was parachuted into France twice, once spending a year in Poitiers receiving agents and the second time in April 1944, working with her brother to distribute weapons to the Resistance before D-Day.

She explains the training, how they were deployed to France, locating potential landing grounds, their flimsy communications and the limited instructions they were given. She reflects on her lucky escape after her first deployment, when her French helpers were arrested and one later died. She provides a vivid account of her experiences, including sad memories of people fleeing the German advance, her fears the first time she presented her false identity card, her terror when confronted by a German soldier trying to steal her bike.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Ailsa Camm, Martyn Cox
Reviewed by:
Andy Voase

Copyright:
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Home | Veterans | Lise de Baissac

A veteran interview with

Lise de Baissac

Lise-de-Baissac-Still

Lise Villameur (née de Baissac), was one of the first two female agents to be parachuted into France by SOE in WWII. Her bravado and character shine through in this wonderful interview conducted by the oral historian Martyn Cox and Ailsa Montagu [nee Camm].

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Baissac, Lise. A Veteran Interview with Lise de Baissac. Interview by Ailsa Camm. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/lise-de-baissac/. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
APA Style:
Baissac, L. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Lise de Baissac [Interview by Ailsa Camm]. Legasee. Retrieved April 25, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/lise-de-baissac/
Chicago Style:
Baissac, Lise. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Lise de Baissac. Interview by Ailsa Camm. Legasee. Accessed April 25, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/lise-de-baissac/
Harvard Style:
Baissac, L. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Lise de Baissac. [Interviewed by Ailsa Camm]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/lise-de-baissac/ (Accessed: 25 April 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Baissac, L. A Veteran Interview with Lise de Baissac [Internet]. Interview by A. Camm. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2025 Apr 25]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/lise-de-baissac/
An interview with

Philip Rentell

Philip offers a unique and detailed perspective on the Falklands War in his capacity as Liaison Officer onboard the Queen Elizabeth II.

Philip’s career at sea has covered a range of experiences including working his way up from cadet to third mate on a cargo shop and a summer season on a hovercraft, which he calls “the original vomit comet” making journeys across the Channel. He joined the Queen Elizabeth II in 1978 and spent 10 years working onboard. Philip was meant to be on leave when the ship was requisitioned to attend the Falklands but he honourably stepped up and offered to swap with a married man. As a Cunard employee, but having spent time in the Royal Navy Reserves, Philip was well placed to become the Liaison Officer between ship operations and the military. He describes in detail the changes made to the QE2 to make the ship ready for transporting over 3000 troops and the technical difficulties they had to surmount. He also recalls the press interest in the ship and how visiting dignitaries, such as the Foreign Secretary, would have to be accommodated. Philip says the mix of personnel worked well and most people rehearsed a number of roles due to the uncertainty ahead, in particular, the Gurkha troops were incredibly diligent in practicing evacuation drills. The closer they get, the more the reality hits of what is ahead as they receive news of casualties and sunken warships. Icebergs are a real threat too and having to travel without radar (in case of detection) was risky. One treacherously foggy day a Cunard officer switched the radar back on and just as well he did because it alerted them to icebergs all around. Even anchoring the ship at Grytviken was dangerous as the water was so deep. Philip is able to recall in detail the operations taking place followed by a complex refuelling process to get them home safely. The return was very emotional as they were the first major ship to get back and carrying hundreds of survivors. They were welcomed home by the Queen Mother. Philip reflects that this time was a huge adventure and not something he could ever have imagined being part of as a normal Merchant Navy sailor.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
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Born multiracial to a place of austerity, Garry Burns transitioned seamlessly into the Royal Navy and later, the Merchant Navy.

Garry Burns shares an engaging account of his service aboard RFA Tidespring during the Falklands War. Raised in a Children's home, Garry understood hardness and strict discipline from a young age. These qualities would benefit his transition into the Royal Navy when he joined. After enlisting at sixteen, he trained as a Gunner, working aboard many warships from HMS Cambridge to HMS Reclaim. This was before choosing to become a merchant sailor, serving aboard RFA Tidespring as a Paint locker-man. Despite leaving the navy, he would soon find himself entering a warzone after Tidespring was called to Ascension Island in preparation for war in the Falklands. Something Garry thought was a joke because the message was received on April 1st. While sailing to South Georgia with a group of other warships, Garry recalls how they were required to bunch up and mimic cargo ships to avoid detection from Russian Satellites who were monitoring them. At South Georgia, many crazy stories unfolded such as, struggling to send marines ashore after the crashing of two helicopters and the drifting of a recovery boat. After the bombardment and surrender of South Georgia, the crew were given the opportunity to inspect the hamlet of Grytviken. Garry was stunned by how forsaken it was. It resembled a ghost town in which everyone had left, yet much was left behind. During the war, they brought hundreds of POWs aboard, including crew members of the Santa Fe submarine which had limped onto Grytviken after being attacked. When meeting the prisoners, Garry noticed how bedraggled some of them appeared. He managed to form healthy relationships with some of them, especially since he knew Spanish from his earlier voyages in both South and Central America. This made him the crew's unofficial translator. Being born mixed race in the 1950s, Garry never had an easy time making friends, especially early on. However, his life aboard Tidespring proved to be a happy one and his skin colour was valuable in gaining the assurance of POWs who may have found it difficult to trust someone of a more English disposition. Garry's story captures the advantages that come from growing up in undesirable circumstances, from the success that can still be attained and the surprising way in which new bonds can be formed.    
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Interviewed by:
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Service:
Interviewed by:
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