Tony Chapman was born in Southampton in 1924. Aged 16 he watched with horror as the historic High Street of Southampton burnt to the ground in a firestorm caused by a heavy German bombing raid on the night of 30 November 1940. He vowed to join up and fight back. Tony joined the Navy. The War of the Motor Gun Boats can only be published because Tony wrote a letter to the local paper in 2005 expressing his gratitude to Roger Lightoller for saving his life. This stirred the embers and led him to consider publication in rememberance of the time and the people.