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Sandra

A veteran interview with

Sandra Bremner

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About Sandra Bremner

Sandra Bremner comes from Ballyclare a small town in County Antrim, where she met her husband Sammy. Having served army in the 1970’s and then in the prison service, he struggles with depression and PTSD.

Sammy and Sandra have been involved with Help for Heroes’ Band of Brothers and Band of Sisters for a few years now, and Sandra describes how much it has helped them both.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Matt Pitt

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

Copyright:
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Home | Veterans | Sandra Bremner

A veteran interview with

Sandra Bremner

Sandra

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Bremner, Sandra. A Veteran Interview with Sandra Bremner. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, 20 Aug. 2019 https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/sandra-bremner/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
APA Style:
Bremner, S. (2019, August 20). A Veteran Interview with Sandra Bremner [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved April 23, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/sandra-bremner/
Chicago Style:
Bremner, Sandra. 2019. A Veteran Interview with Sandra Bremner. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, August 20. Accessed April 23, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/sandra-bremner/
Harvard Style:
Bremner, S. (2019). A Veteran Interview with Sandra Bremner. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee, 20 August. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/sandra-bremner/ (Accessed: 23 April 2026)
Vancouver Style:
Bremner, S. A Veteran Interview with Sandra Bremner [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; 2019 Aug 20 [cited 2026 Apr 23]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/sandra-bremner/
An interview with

Noreen Riols

Noreen recalls her experiences of missions as an agent in F Section of the Special Operations Executive

Born in Malta, Noreen travelled widely due to her father being in the Royal Navy and developed a gift for languages. Noreen begins her recollections leaving the French Lycée school in London at eighteen to be interviewed at the Foreign Office and being asked to report to S.O.E. (Special Operations Executive) leader Colonel Buckmaster at Norgeby House in Baker Street. From there she met Captain Harry Ree at Montagu Mansions and was instructed to tell nobody about what she would be involved in going forward. She recalls being sent to Lord Montague’s finishing school at Beaulieu in the New Forest, training in intelligence gathering and being used as a decoy. Joining the French speaking F Section in the S.O.E. she tells riveting stories about her work as an agent, losing enemy agents in a crowd, and trying to extract information from them at various parties. She explains passing messages by dropping newspapers and speaking without moving her lips. Noreen later recalls meeting famous characters throughout WW2 including agents Kim Philby, Paul Dehn, cryptologist Leo Marks and intelligence officer Vera Atkins. She also describes the ‘drop’ when a Lysander aircraft would fly an agent into enemy territory, the heartbreak if they didn’t return, and the relationships she formed even with their shielded identities.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martyn Cox
An interview with

Andy Tuft

Possibly the youngest British seaman to take part in the Falklands War

Andy Tuft was born into a military family but stumbled into the merchant navy by accident. He expected luxury cruises but joined the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) instead.
Signing on April 1st, he was en route to the Falklands by April 5th onboard RFA Resource where he was a Junior Communications Rating (JCR).  He quickly adapted to his first deployment, detailing his work and life aboard the Resource. Although inexperienced, he served on the fire attack team and quickly matured.
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He retired from the Merchant Navy in 1989, and sadly passed away on May 12, 2023, following a short illness.
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Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker