Home | Veterans | Ronald Arnold
Ron Arnold

A veteran interview with

Ronald Arnold

Ron Arnold was a dispatch rider during WWII. Prior to DDay he recalls riding around the eerily quiet towns of England’s South Coast.

Play video
Watch the interview

About Ronald Arnold

Ronald Arnold joined the Home Guard in 1940 aged 16, before joining the regular army in 1942 (Middlesex Regiment) and serving in Normandy. As a wartime teenager, he felt a strong sense of duty and urgency, with most people somehow contributing to the war effort. He provides a fascinating insight into wartime Britain: working as a machinist by day, basic Home Guard training from First World War veterans, learning to use sticky bombs, standing guard at night and vigilance against German parachutists.

His reminiscences on wartime Britain continue after he joined the army: the harshness of the conditions, training exercises across the countryside, navigating through Southern England a dispatch rider with minimal resources and relying on army units for fuel and food. His unit landed in Normandy later in June as a support unit for 43rd Wessex Brigade. He recalls the ever-present fear of enemy artillery and nebelwerfer rockets, which had a significant psychological impact. After being injured, he was evacuated for medical treatment and struggled with feelings of guilt for leaving his comrades.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Andy Voase

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

Copyright:
All video content, web site design, graphics, images (including submitted content), text, the selection and arrangement thereof, underlying source code, software and all other material on this Web site are the copyright of Legasee Educational Trust, and its affiliates, or their content and technology providers. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials on this Web site – including reproduction for purposes other than those noted above, modification, distribution, or republication – without the prior written permission of Legasee Educational Trust is strictly prohibited.

Home | Veterans | Ronald Arnold

A veteran interview with

Ronald Arnold

Ron Arnold

Ron Arnold was a dispatch rider during WWII. Prior to DDay he recalls riding around the eerily quiet towns of England’s South Coast.

Related topics & talking points

Veteran gallery

Photos & memories

Keep on watching

More veteran stories...

Share this interview on:

https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ronald-arnold/

Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Arnold, Ronald. A Veteran Interview with Ronald Arnold. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ronald-arnold/. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.
APA Style:
Arnold, R. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Ronald Arnold [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved August 16, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ronald-arnold/
Chicago Style:
Arnold, Ronald. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Ronald Arnold. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ronald-arnold/
Harvard Style:
Arnold, R. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Ronald Arnold. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ronald-arnold/ (Accessed: 16 August 2026)
Vancouver Style:
Arnold, R. A Veteran Interview with Ronald Arnold [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2026 Aug 16]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ronald-arnold/
An interview with

Katherine McMullin

Katherine describes her time as a driver for the WRAC.

From a young age Katherine knew she wanted to travel and when offered the opportunity to join the Royal Corps of Transport, she signed with the army. At nineteen she left for Guildford and speaks fondly of her time at the training base, in particular her passing out parade which she describes as an incredibly surreal experience. Although her trade training was postponed due to the Mill Hill Bombing in 1988, she soon became part of the team at Bovington Training Centre that drove new officers fresh from Sandhurst who were on their Tactical Exercise Without Troops (TEWT) training. Later she was moved to Rheindahlen 68 Squadron where she met different soldiers from the UN and NATO and remembers this as the best tour she served whilst in the army. During this tour she witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall and contributed to the peacekeeping duties in Czechoslovakia. In 1991 Katherine recalls troops being sent to Iraq and the importance of her work behind the front lines in the rear party. She provides great detail of one particular mission which developed from an initial twenty-four hour drive to an almost three week task of shipping ammunition to the Gulf. From here she was posted to Northern Ireland where she worked as both a driver and searcher for IRA bombs. Following the disbandment of the WRAC Katherine returned to work in Germany with the onset of the Bosnian war, and worked as a driver until she left in 1995. Katherine's interview offers an insightful overview of different experiences of WRAC women and gives an authentic account of the many adversities women faced in the army.
Photo Gallery icon 19 Photos
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Bernadette Dolan

Bernadette 'Bernie' Dolan worked with the Royal Engineers Postal and Courier Services.

Bernie's interview begins with her retelling the story of how she never wanted to join the army, but as she was too short to join the police, she found herself at the army recruitment office instead. She was posted to Mill Hill in London to train with the postal and courier services. Bernie handled classified mail and transported important documents during the height of the Cold War and IRA threats. In 1978 Bernie was posted to Northern Ireland where she was flown with mail to different barracks and sites all over the country. She remembers experiencing an explosion in the barracks, and in that moment realising that no one was safe from the bombings. After Ireland, Bernie returned to Mill Hill, then Dusseldorf where she ran a post office on the Rhine. She was then posted to the Falklands and responsible for organising soldier's mail as it came into the port. On her return home she was promoted to Quartermaster, and later Sergeant Quartermaster in the Royal Artillery Regiment in Warwickshire. It was at this point in her career that she began to feel the WRAC shifting, and was sad to leave in 1994 when the Corps disbanded. Bernie shares her story because she believes it is important to document history and portray what has happened in the past.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Ian Hammerton

Ian Hammerton's journey as a Sherman Flail tank commander on D-Day captures the peril, innovation, and emotional toll of one of WWII's most pivotal moments.

Ian Hammerton joined the Royal Tank Regiment in 1939, and started out as a trooper before advancing to officer after training at Sandhurst. Skilled in operating Sherman flail tanks for mine-clearing, his regiment developed innovative tactics, including a system to clean tank periscopes, which inspired modern windscreen washers. Ian played a crucial role in the D-Day invasion, enduring rigorous preparations and the chaos of landing under fire. His primary task was to clear beach obstacles, despite seasickness and witnessing heavy casualties. After D-Day, Ian's regiment continued through Normandy, participating in key operations like Operation Goodwood and the advance towards Falaise. He recounts the challenges of night attacks, close encounters with the enemy, and significant losses on both sides. Ian's vivid memories include the tragic loss of comrades, encounters with wounded enemy soldiers, and accidental bombings by Allied forces. His story reflects the resilience and dedication required to navigate the brutal realities of World War II combat.
Photo Gallery icon 17 Photos
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker