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A veteran interview with

Ronald Pickersgill

Ronald Pickersgill was a National Serviceman stationed in Wunstorf Germany when the Russians blockaded the city of Berlin.

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About Ronald Pickersgill

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Carolyn Foster

Copyright:
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Home | Veterans | Ronald Pickersgill

A veteran interview with

Ronald Pickersgill

RonaldPickersgill_2

Ronald Pickersgill was a National Serviceman stationed in Wunstorf Germany when the Russians blockaded the city of Berlin.

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

Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Pickersgill, Ronald. A Veteran Interview with Ronald Pickersgill. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 22 Oct. 2012 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ronald-pickersgill/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
APA Style:
Pickersgill, R. (2012, October 22). A Veteran Interview with Ronald Pickersgill [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved April 18, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ronald-pickersgill/
Chicago Style:
Pickersgill, Ronald. 2012. A Veteran Interview with Ronald Pickersgill. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, October 22. Accessed April 18, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ronald-pickersgill/
Harvard Style:
Pickersgill, R. (2012). A Veteran Interview with Ronald Pickersgill. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 22 October. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ronald-pickersgill/ (Accessed: 18 April 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Pickersgill, R. A Veteran Interview with Ronald Pickersgill [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2012 Oct 22 [cited 2025 Apr 18]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/ronald-pickersgill/
An interview with

Doreen Galvin

Doreen Galvin remembers her experience as an intelligence officer and photographic interpreter for RAF operations in World War Two.

Doreen Galvin describes that as a young woman she was passionate about maps and photography, thus knew when the war broke out that she must apply for intelligence work - not admin. After being firstly involved in photo interpretation, Doreen was then moved to Bomber Command and finally sent to be an Operations Officer at Tempsford RAF base. Doreen recalls how on arriving at Tempsford she was immediately thrown into work and quickly taken to the map room. She remembers that upon looking at the wall of maps, she realised that she was standing face-to-face with all the locations of the clandestine operations by the RAF during the war. In this role she was responsible for receiving, processing and reporting these locations and objectives to the War Cabinet. In this interview Doreen fondly recalls her contribution to the war, reflecting upon the excitement of working with maps and photo interpretation during the war. Doreen gives an interesting account of the war effort from a different perspective than that of the front line soldier, by both originating from a female viewpoint and also the clandestine operations which were happening back in England.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martyn Cox
An interview with

Marcel Jaurant-Singer

A wireless operator and resistance organiser in occupied France during the build up to the D-Day invasion

Marcel Jaurant-Singer joined the French Resistance in 1941. In 1942, he was sent across the Pyrenees and was transported – with the help of Allied operatives – to England, where he would be trained as a Special Operations Executive (SOE). Upon arrival in England, Marcel was sent to Commando training in Scotland, before returning to England to complete his wireless training at Thame park – he managed all this despite not speaking a word of English. In March 1944, Marcel was parachuted back into France where he quickly established an undercover network. Marcel goes on to recount his life as a wireless operator, outlining the cat and mouse game of avoiding detection by German troops – including the need to cycle up to 60km per day! Marcel’s contact with London in the build up to D-Day resulted in him taking charge of arming and training 350 men to prepare for the invasion. He talks in detail of how they used the existing infrastructure of secret caves and hills from WW1 to carry out these operations. Marcel’s interview ends with a brief discussion of his experience working alongside female SOE agents. This completes a fascinating insight into the structure of secret operations in occupied France and the development of French resistance forces in the build-up to D-Day.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martyn Cox
An interview with

Laurence Kennedy

An exceptional RAF veteran who flew over 150 sorties as a Navigator during the Berlin Airlift and a founding member of the British Berlin Airlift Association

Laurence Kennedy volunteered to join the RAF in 1943 after turning 18 years old. He trained in Newquay and following this was posted to South Africa for a year. Whilst there, he celebrated VE day (Victory in Europe day) in Cape Town, May 1945. Laurence continued his training and joined Transport Command. After a bout of sickness, he was sent to Fassburg, Germany, where he joined up with a squadron and was sent to assist in the Berlin Airlift. Most of the cargo being flown in was coal and flour, with aircrafts being packed full, Laurence remembers. Sometimes, they would have the important task of flying children out of Berlin to reduce the numbers in the city. This is when the importance of the airlift  sank in for Laurence. He talks about how sorry he felt for the children being taken away from their homes and families. During the airlift Laurence flew 168 sorties and was housed in several bases throughout Germany, including: Wunsdorf, Fassburg, and Lubeck. He met his wife at Lubeck, she was stationed there serving with the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. Whilst stationed in Fassburg, he remembers there being lots of pubs and inns, and that he enjoyed life there. Laurence recalls bringing coffee from back home and trading it with locals for Deutsche marks. In his downtime, Laurence visited Hamburg and remembers being shocked at the state of the city, describing it as horrific and he couldn’t see how anyone could survive living there during the war. What Laurence and his fellow servicemen and women did during this time is incredible, all of them led us out of a very uncertain time. This interview was filmed by the late Andrew Emslie.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker