George Marler

A Colour Sergeant with 4th Bn., George died on 14th of February 1942 at the age of 40. 

George was born at Shoreditch, London, a son of Herbert Walter and Mary (Polly) Marler. In 1911 his family lived at 16 Welsh Street, Shoreditch. 

On 21 July 1919 George enlisted in the Machine Gun Corps, at Stratford, London. Prior to this he worked as a plumber's assistant. On 17 March 1922 he transferred to serve with the Royal Tank Corps. 

George married Rose Annah (Rosannah) Chase at Romney Marsh on 28 February 1924.  

On 30 October 1924 George joined Section B of the Army Reserve and stated that he intended to live at 131 Rotterdam Road, Lowestoft. George was finally discharged on 20 July 1931. He then, on 14 September 1931 enlisted in the Suffolk Regiment (Territorial Army). In 1939 George, Roseanna, and children, lived at 31 Hill Road, Lowestoft.  

In autumn 1939 the 4th Battalion Suffolk Regiment was on guard duty in the Lowestoft area and from July to September 1940 had various local deployments, including guarding Great Yarmouth. The Battalion then moved to Bedfordshire and then Scotland until April 1941. Next the Battalion moved to Bury, Lancashire, and Hereford, before embarking on the S.S. Andes at Liverpool and sailing for Halifax, Nov Scotia. The Battalion changed ship, to the American liner Wakefield, and sailed for Trinidad and then Cape Town, arriving on 9 December 1941. The Battalion was given three days shore leave.

The Battalion was part of 54 Brigade in the 18th (East Anglian) Division. 

With the Japanese entry into the war the Battalion was now allocated to the Far East and sailed for India, arriving on 5 January 1942. The Battalion had three weeks of training before embarking at Bombay and sailing for Singapore, arriving on 29 January 1942. The Battalion had orders to defend the Golf Course and then fell back to defend the perimeter before the Singapore garrison was forced to surrender on 15 February 1942. 

Ninety men of the Battalion were killed, or died of wounds, in the defence of Singapore and 865 were taken prisoner.      

George was reported as missing on 15 February 1942 and later was presumed to have been killed in action on 14 February 1942 (date from British Army Casualty List 1954 dated 8 January 1946).