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Ralph-Brill

A veteran interview with

Ralph Brill

Ralph Brill is a serving WO Class2 Band Sergeant Major of the Irish Guards.

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About Ralph Brill

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker

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

Copyright:
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Home | Veterans | Ralph Brill

A veteran interview with

Ralph Brill

Ralph-Brill

Ralph Brill is a serving WO Class2 Band Sergeant Major of the Irish Guards.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Brill, Ralph. A Veteran Interview with Ralph Brill. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ralph-brill/. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
APA Style:
Brill, R. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Ralph Brill [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved July 15, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ralph-brill/
Chicago Style:
Brill, Ralph. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Ralph Brill. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee. Accessed July 15, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ralph-brill/
Harvard Style:
Brill, R. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Ralph Brill. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ralph-brill/ (Accessed: 15 July 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Brill, R. A Veteran Interview with Ralph Brill [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2025 Jul 15]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ralph-brill/
An interview with

Ishbel Thomson

Joining the OTC at university while training as a pharmacist set Ishbel Thomson on an army career that saw her serve in many global conflicts.

Ishbel had experience with the University Officers Training Corps (OTC) and the Territorial Army (TA) before she joined the WRAC in 1985. She had trained as a pharmacist at university and it was only after graduating she considered joining the army. She recalls Crusade Eight as the first major operation she worked on alongside the local infantry unit. Ishbel describes how in this role, aside from escorting VIPS, most of the women would take on administrative work. She was then posted to C Company in Grangemouth as a Platoon Commander and comments on the changing atmosphere surrounding women's treatment in the early 1980s. Ishbel also describes how in the OTC and the TA women were afforded more opportunities, such as weapons and armed combat training, whereas the WRAC were only just introducing weapons training. From this point Ishbel underwent a series of role changes within the army; she traveled to Sandhurst, Catterick, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, and London where she completed her Masters in Administration. At Porton Down, she revisited her pharmacist experience and worked with scientists to develop pharmaceutical and technological military defences. Ishbel went on to become an Adjutant General in Bosnia, the Balkans, then a Lieutenant Colonel in Cyprus and a medic in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Reflecting on the WRAC, Ishbel feels that it gave her the grounding to begin her wider military career. An inspiring interview, we thank Ishbel for her incredible stories and for being a trailblazing woman.
Service:
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Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Bryan ‘Tab’ Hunter

Bryan 'Tab' Hunter recalls his career in the Parachute Regime

Bryan Hunter, commonly known as 'Tab' in the forces, was called up for for National Service to the Queens own Royal West Kent Regiment in Oct 1955 and after completing training he was put in for the Parachute Regiment. He recounts all the hard work and training he had to go through until he was finally conscripted to Cyprus in 1956. Bryan tells stories of pure determination and tenacity - 'if you went down, you would get up and throw yourself back into the fight again' as he reflects on his time fighting in conflicts. He mentions his brief appearance in the Suez Canal Crisis, mutiny on the high seas and his time entertaining his camp with his passion for cinema and film projection. Overall, his story highlights the stark contrast between conscription and everyday camp life abroad.
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Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker