Gordon Ernest Catchpole

A Private with 4th Bn., Gordon died on 14th of February 1942 at the age of 21. 

Gordon was born at Lowestoft on 20 October 1920, a son of Arnold Lancelot and Violet Annie Catchpole. He was baptised at Saint John's Church, Lowestoft, on 19 November 1920 and his family lived at 57 Bevan Street. By 1939 the family were living at 35 Lorne Park 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.      

Gordon was reported as missing on 15 February 1942. In fact he had been killed in action on 14 February and he was buried, by Padre Haigh, 'in corner of wood - map reference 814147 - on the Golf Course'. The official casualty list number 1439, dated 6 May 1944, stated that Gordon was reported to be a 'prisoner of war in Japanese hands' but official list 1963 (of 18 January 1946) stated that Gordon had actually been killed in action on 14 February 1942. In March 1946 an official correction to casualty list 1439 was published stating that the report of him being a POW was erroneous.