Korean War Legacy Project

Mike Mogridge

Bio

Mike Mogridge was called up by the British Army in 1952 and served in the 1st Commonwealth Division Fusiliers as an infantryman. Having grown up in London during World War II, he was no stranger to war when he arrived in Korea. He attributes his easy adjustment to the bombing and mortars in Korea to his experience of being in London as it was being bombed during World War II. During his service in Korea, he experienced combat on several occasions during the Second and Third Battle of the Hook as well as on Hill 355. Later in life, he still experienced frequent flashbacks to his time in Korea.

Video Clips

Arriving in Korea

Mike Mogridge recalls being met upon arrival in Korea by an American band. He notes they were in Pusan for two or three days before heading to his assigned unit on the front. Although his recollections of their food was positive, he remembers being told to head to the American mess tent as their food was like eating at the Ritz.

Tags: Busan,Food,Impressions of Korea

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On the Front Lines

Mike Mogridge details being in combat on "The Hook." He recalls Chinese artillery tactics as well as the Chinese suicide attacks. He recounts being lucky as he was in the rear trenches for most of the battle where they did not receive so much fire or action. He vividly remembers recovering the bodies of the enemy dead and using them as a wall to protect the hutches in which his unit stayed.

Tags: 1953 Battle of the Hook, 5/28-29,Panmunjeom,Chinese,Fear,Front lines,Living conditions,Weapons

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Combat

Mike Mogridge speaks about his first experiences in combat at the Hook. He recounts witnessing the deaths of two of his fellow soldiers. He remembers being lucky to survive an occasion when the Chinese dropped five mortars on him and two other soldiers.

Tags: 1953 Battle of the Hook, 5/28-29,Panmunjeom,Chinese,Fear,Front lines,Living conditions,Weapons

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Flashback to Korea

Mike Mogridge shares his thoughts about death as well as his views about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He admits many from his generation are skeptical of PTSD but that this skepticism does not mean people do not suffer from it. He recounts a personal story of having a flashback some fifty years after the war.

Tags: Chinese,Fear,Home front

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