Thursday, 10 September 2026

IWM interview with Ralph Alger Bagnold

The Imperial War Museum has an interesting set of 3 reels of an interview held with Ralph Alger Bagnold, founder of the Long Range Desert Group, reference IWM 9862.


While his WW1 service is mentioned as well as some of his inter war exploration and then the creation of the Long Range Desert Group, there is much missing e.g. his service in Ireland during the War of Independence with the 5th Division. So far, no sign of Bagnold in the 1921 census serving in Ireland. His boss, Richard Ernest Barker, is listed in the census at Marlborough Barracks, Dublin as part of Special Signal Company, Royal Corps of Signals.


On an unrelated side note, a relative by marriage, Michael Sweeney, appears to have been involved in the shooting of a despatch rider, Signalman De Orfe, belonging to the Special Signal Company.


Bagnold and team can be seen in a 1930 film hosted by the British Film Institute on expedition into the desert in stripped down Ford Model A cars using sand mats etc



No comments:

Post a Comment