This story of life in a German prisoner of war camp is different from the normal British POW story, as the author was a Gunner in the Royal Artillery - not an officer - who was accepted by the German Authorities as a Medical Orderly and, therefore, Protected Personnel. As such, he gives a unique portrait of being a prisoner of the Germans. He gives graphic descriptions of the day to day life in POW camps and his tasks and experiences as a medical orderly over the five year period. He also gives a vivid account of what turned out to be a forced three month, one thousand mile march, from Poland into Germany in the height of winter towards the end of the war and his experiences as a medical orderly. Out of the three thousand who started the march, he writes, only seven hundred survived. AUTHOR: Vic Markham was born on the 23rd October 1918 and lived with his parents and brother in Kensal Rise, Willesden, West London. He attended Chamberlain Road School leaving at 15 years of age to work as an advertising executive at Stuarts Advertising, Park Street, Mayfair, London. As a young man he was a very keen member of the Scout movement and became a Senior Scout of the 28th Willesden Scout Group,during which time he took part in numerous 'Gang Shows'. He was also a keen sportsman and won many athletic and swimming championships. He was called up in 1939 becoming a Gunner/WT Clerk in the Royal Artillery. After returning home in 1945 he returned to Stuarts Advertising and worked for several other advertising agencies in London before setting himself up as a PR and Marketing consultant specialising in the Fruit and Vegetable sector. In his latter years he wrote two text books on Advertising and Marketing and played a significant role within the Oxford business community. He continued to maintain contact with the 28th Willesden Scout Group and tutored overseas students undertaking courses in Marketing at Oxford Brookes University. He died on the 2nd May 2003.
