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A veteran interview with

Mary Clive

Published thanks to a grant from The Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charity.

From teenage FANY driver to calm under fire: Mary’s coming-of-age amid bombs, long roads and sudden responsibility.

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About Mary Clive

In 1938, Mary joined the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry in her late teens. When the war started, she was posted to the anti-aircraft area HQ. Her duties included driving officers to gun sites, often several hundred miles. On one trip, a bomb landed nearby, and her car was blown across the road, but no one was injured.

Driving through Sheffield and Coventry, after they had been severely bombed, was frightening, especially as her parents lived in Sheffield. In 1942, she wanted an overseas posting, which was refused, so she applied for a commission and became an officer.

In 1944, Germany launched the V-1 bombing campaign, and Mary found this unnerving. A bomb landed near a house she was in and blew out all the windows, and being an officer, she had to take charge of the situation. She grew up rapidly during the war and enjoyed the experience, despite the terrible events.

 

The publication of this previously unseen interview was made possible thanks to a grant from The Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charity, to mark 80 years since the closure of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in January 1946. 

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martyn Cox
Reviewed by:
David Mishan
Transcribed by:
David Mishan

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

If you would like a version of the transcript that has been transcribed manually by David Mishan, please complete this form or email info@legasee.org.uk.

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Home | Veterans | Mary Clive

A veteran interview with

Mary Clive

Screenshot

Published thanks to a grant from The Gerry Holdsworth Special Forces Charity.

From teenage FANY driver to calm under fire: Mary’s coming-of-age amid bombs, long roads and sudden responsibility.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Clive, Mary. A Veteran Interview with Mary Clive. Interview by Martyn Cox. Legasee, 23 Apr. 2007 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/mary-clive/. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
APA Style:
Clive, M. (2007, April 23). A Veteran Interview with Mary Clive [Interview by Martyn Cox]. Legasee. Retrieved June 13, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/mary-clive/
Chicago Style:
Clive, Mary. 2007. A Veteran Interview with Mary Clive. Interview by Martyn Cox. Legasee, April 23. Accessed June 13, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/mary-clive/
Harvard Style:
Clive, M. (2007). A Veteran Interview with Mary Clive. [Interviewed by Martyn Cox]. Legasee, 23 April. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/mary-clive/ (Accessed: 13 June 2026)
Vancouver Style:
Clive, M. A Veteran Interview with Mary Clive [Internet]. Interview by M. Cox. Legasee; 2007 Apr 23 [cited 2026 Jun 13]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/mary-clive/
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