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Vic Fisher was a teenager during the Second World War, and during the war he ascended to man-hood. Vic鈥檚 war was not an easy one, as soon after the beginning of the war, Vic鈥檚 father (a member of the highland regiment) was involved in the rear guard action of the Dunkirk rescue, and was subsequently captured by the Germans, becoming a prisoner of war. He was put on forced marches all around Europe until the end of the war, when he was finally released.

Vic鈥檚 child hood was spent at King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS) Chelmsford to start with, where the school would congregate in a large air shelter during raids. After these raids the children, including Vic, would look for aeroplane parts, and this became a favourite pass time of the children, until an unexploded incendiary mine blew up a child. This event showed the young boys just how dangerous this war was, and the scavenging subsequently ceased.

At the age of fifteen Vic left KEGS, and took up work with Marconi, as a clerk for the radio development department. Here he witnessed some of the most important advances in radio technology, including the long-range radios fitted into the planes. As an important industrial area, Marconi was consistently bombed and life was dangerous, although as Vic said 鈥渆xciting鈥�

From here, Vic decided to join the merchant Navy, and this was where the majority of Vic鈥檚 war was spent, shipping goods around the coast of Britain, and after D-day, to the coast of France and the Netherlands. It was during his tenure with the navy, that Vic had his most lasting memory of the war, and this was of the Americans. The scariest thing about the Americans was the fact they were alarmingly trigger happy, and were liable to shoot logs in the water 鈥渏ust for the hell of it鈥�. As a result, you did not want to meet an American on watch duty!

Chelmsford itself when he had time off, and the towns in which he was lodging provided a place of rest, but the war was always evident around them. Homes were empty or broken and bombing raids broke up the peace all to often. However, near the end of the war, he people of Britain were met with more agreeable sights, such as American DC鈥檚 flying over, accompanied by mustangs and spitfires.

Again however, it was the Americans that provided the most entertainment, wooing the British women with there rugged accents, while taking part in competitions with a good natured resolves, and many cross sea friendships were formed during this time.

The end of the war came a little to soon for Vic in actual fact, as he was stationed n the Netherlands, and had a huge party planned. They had use all there rations and money for beer and food, and were then notified they were going home before the party, and could not bring the food and drink!

Despite this set back, Vic went home, and met his father again after all these years, and despite the atrocities of the war, Vic Fishers life, returned to normal.

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