Laura Murphy

Chase Bridge School

Pegeen Hill

    
Pageen Hill had a remarkable young life working in the Red Cross. She travelled to some seriously inhospitable places and had a stint working on the switches in Korea. This was the handing over of indoctrinated POW’s from North Korea to the allies. 

Shelley Cooper

Shelley Cooper is the mother of Kingsman Anthony Cooper who also features in our archive and was recorded as part of Chorley Council’s project, “Sacrifice: Stories of Bravery & Resilience after Recent Conflicts Project”. She gives a very honest account of the impact Anthony’s injuries have had on her and the family. 

Donna Rowe-Green

Donna Rowe Green has been a horticulturist all her life and she knows the benefit of spending time outdoors. A visit to Scotland and a supporting husband are all that she needs to make a go of a new venture called Dig-In.  It’s a team of people from the military community - both serving and veteran who are able to support each other in a safe environment. In this case, a walled garden.

Margaret Jackson

Margaret Jackson was PA to Major-General Sir Colin Gubbins who, prior to becoming SOE’s Director of Operations and eventually Head of SOE, had formed the Auxiliary Units, a civilian force to operate behind German lines if Britain was invaded. Margaret ?rst joined Gubbins in Paris, when he was leading a mission set up and liaise with resistance movements run by the Polish and Czech authorities in exile.

Mildred Schutz

Mildred Schutz was in a reserved occupation when she joined the FANY in 1941. Initially she served as a secretary at SOE HQ on Baker Street. She was then posted to Italy, where she became an assistant to Captain Amos, who was in charge of liaising with the partisans.

J-L Cremieux

Jean-Louis Crémieux-Brilhac joined the Free French Forces in London and became liaison officer between the Free French, SOE and the BBC.

Joan Taylor

Joan Taylor [nee Tapp] was an WTS FANY (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry) with the SOE. She worked as a wireless operator, receiving and sending coded messages to agents in the field.  She was stationed in England, Algiers, and Italy. She provided Legasee with some nice photographs of her time with the SOE in Massingham. You can view these if you become a member. 

Bob Moloubier

In this revealing interview, the world renowned saboteur and weapons trainer, Bob Maloubier shares detail about his life in SOE, Force 136 and the French equivalent of the SBS.
During the Second World War he was twice parachuted into his homeland of France and on one of those occasions, he was captured.  Despite a gun held at his neck, he managed to escape, was then shot several times and survived a night in freezing temperatures. ‘Incredible’.

Brian Bird

One of the few surviving WWII pilots to have flown both the Hurricane and the Spitfire. Brian has all his faculties and his memories of specific bombing raids and life as a Spit pilot in Italy are absolutely absorbing

Eric Downing

Eric Downing provides a rare and often times emotional insight into the role of a Gunner on a Flail tank during the Second World War. Serving withe the 22nd Royal Dragoons he experienced some terrifying moments and confesses that he was extremely fortunate to survive.

Colin Parker

Colin used to love watching the trooping of the colour but had assumed a life on the docks was his lot. That all changed when he went to an Army careers  office for some information, one week later he was walking through the Guards depot in London.

Sidney Mitchell

Sidney is a real character and despite his age still holds some very vivid memories of his time in the Signals including his call up.

Chase Bridge School

Graeme Golightly

Graeme Golightly was an eighteen year old Royal marine Commando when the Falklands Conflict started.

Ralph Brill

Alan Johnson

Alan Johnson worked alongside the Russians in the Airlift Air Centre in the heart of Berlin. He shares some very candid memories of his time in Berlin

Tim Elkington

Wing Commander Tim Elkington was firtunate to survive the Second World war as a fighter pilot. In additon to being shot out of the sky over the English Channel during the Battle of Britain, he also flew off Mac ships, Aircraft Carriers and saw action in Russia and India. It's a remarkable testament, from a remarkably modest man.

John Bowler

John Bowler was a National Service 2nd Lieutenant with the 1st Battalion The Welch Regiment when he went to Korea. He gives a fantastic account of his life on the front line and details various contacts with the enemy including the occasion where he earned a Military Cross for bravery. This epic interview lasts nearly two hours but is split into chronological sub sections.