Interview with Peter Fisher

British private served with 1st Bn King's Shropshire Light Infantry, 28th Commonwealth Infantry Bde, 1st Commonwealth Div in South Korea, 1952

REEL 1 Background in Langley Mill and Derby, GB, 1930-1951: family; education; sight of British Army troops returning from Dunkirk Evacuation, 1940; lack of German Air Force raids on Derby; effect on education of Second World War; listening to radio; racial segregation among US personnel; sight of first jet; victory celebrations, 1945. Aspects of enlistment and training in GB, 1951: call-up for National Service, 1951; reaction to training; question of comradeship in British Army; treatment of recruits during basic training; section training in North Wales; reason for extended leave, 10/1951. Voyage aboard HMT Lancashire from GB to Far East, 1951-1952. Aspects of period as private with 1st Bn Wiltshire Regt (Duke of Edinburgh's) and 1st Bn King's Shropshire Light Infantry in Hong Kong and Japan, early 1952: attachment to 1st Bn Wiltshire Regt at Lo Wu, Hong Kong; move to Haramura Battle School, Japan; reasons for volunteering for unit pay office; posting to 1st Bn King's Shropshire Light Infantry; story of background to obtaining clerical job on returning to GB, 1952. REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of operations as private with 1st Bn King's Shropshire Light Infantry, 28th Commonwealth Infantry Bde, 1st Commonwealth Div in South Korea, 1952: role of company clerk; journey to Britannia Camp, Ujongbu; encounter with Bill Speakman VC; popular music of the time; move into front line in Samichon Valley; contrast in attitude between British and American service personnel; denying No-Mans-Land to Chinese People's Volunteer Army; degree of danger from Chinese People's Volunteer Army artillery fire; combating mosquitoes; effect of dawn mist on acoustics; collapse of dug out from heavy rain during monsoon. Reflections on death of friend Eric Walker: news of death of Eric Walker and visit to C Coy, 7/1952; out-of-body experience he had; leave period at B echelon; wish for revenge for death of friend; suppression of his Korean War memories. REEL 3 Continues: reasons for wearing medals, 11/11/1995; reading poem relating to contacting Eric Walker's family; effect of having poem published in newspaper; memorial folder he produced on Eric Walker; story of second out of body experience; attempt to research date of death of Eric Walker and others; discovery of letters he wrote to his fiancée in 1952. Aspects of operations with 1st Bn King's Shropshire Light Infantry, 28th Commonwealth Infantry Bde in South Korea, 1952: method of boiling water; treatment for sweat rashes; present work listing British dead; degree of contact with Chinese forces; question of emotion of revenge. REEL 4 Continues: contact with 3rd Bn Royal Australian Regt; opinion of United States Army troops degree of contact with Korean civilians; terrain and Chinese People's Volunteer Army troops' use of it; attitude to having done National Service.