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Walter-Irish

A veteran interview with

Walter Irish

Walter Irish served with 41 Independent Commando during the Korean War.

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About Walter Irish

Walter Irish was just 18 when a chance encounter with a Royal Marine in uniform inspired him to enlist. Having grown up on a farm near Newton Abbot, he took easily to the physical demands of commando training and proudly earned his green beret. Posted to 41 Independent Commando, he soon found himself in Japan, re-equipped with American weapons and training alongside the US Marines.

In his interview, Walter recalls daring raids on North Korean supply lines, gruelling night landings, and the bitter cold of the Chosin Reservoir campaign where temperatures plummeted to -34°C. He describes the chaos of ambush, the loss of friends, and the sheer will to survive. Wounded by shrapnel, he was evacuated to Japan but carried with him the enduring bond of comradeship.

Walter went on to serve in Borneo, Malta, Singapore, and Aden, but Korea remained a defining experience. His testimony sheds light not only on the hardships of war but also on the resilience of a young Royal Marine who never forgot the men he served alongside.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
Reviewed by:
Lucy Smith

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

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Home | Veterans | Walter Irish

A veteran interview with

Walter Irish

Walter-Irish

Walter Irish served with 41 Independent Commando during the Korean War.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Irish, Walter. A Veteran Interview with Walter Irish. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/walter-irish/. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
APA Style:
Irish, W. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Walter Irish [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved November 18, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/walter-irish/
Chicago Style:
Irish, Walter. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Walter Irish. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee. Accessed November 18, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/walter-irish/
Harvard Style:
Irish, W. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Walter Irish. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/walter-irish/ (Accessed: 18 November 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Irish, W. A Veteran Interview with Walter Irish [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2025 Nov 18]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/walter-irish/
An interview with

Patricia Davies

Patricia Davies was involved in Operation Mincemeat, one of the most notorious secret war events of WW2. 

Not many women would turn down a posting to Bletchley park but Patricia Davies did. It rubbed up a few noses but it ensured that she would be involved in one of the most audacious secret missions of the Second World War. Operation Mincemeat was a highly innovative and successful deception which helped to convince the German high command that the Allies planned to invade Greece and Sardinia in 1943 instead of Sicily, the actual objective.
In her interview, Patricia reflects on her role in the op and marvels at the secrecy that was part and parcel of her life during the war. She also offers opinion on the the film 'The man Who Never Was', which was made about the Operation.
Patricia passed away on the 22 July, 2014.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martyn Cox
An interview with

Colette Cook

A member of the Women's Royal Naval Service who operated the Bombe machines at Bletchley Park.

Colette Cook tells of her work at Bletchley Park operating the Bombe machines whose function was to find the daily key settings of the Enigma machines used by the Germans during WWII to transmit encrypted messages. Colette joined the WRNS (Wrens) as soon as she was able, and following a period of basic training, applied for a mysterious posting ‘P5’. It transpired that this was shorthand for HMS Pembroke V, a cover term for WRNS being posted to Eastcote (an outstation of Bletchley) to train as Bombe operators. In this engaging interview, Colette explains how, after signing the Official Secrets Act, she learned to load the bombe with the coloured wheels and then set about the difficult job of plugging up the back as directed by a ‘menu’. She describes the work as monotonous, physically demanding, and very noisy, but her and her colleagues ‘just grinded away’. She tells of a sense of urgency, but stresses it was not panic, and a realisation that what they were doing was important. Reflecting on her time at Bletchley, Colette says that whilst ‘it all seems like a dream now’, she has an overarching feeling of pride in the part she played to crack the German cypher.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker