John Charles Nathan

A Private with the 4th Battalion, John died on 12th of February 1942 aged 22.

John was born at Lowestoft on 15 November 1919, a son of John Charles and Lilian May Nathan. He was baptised at Saint Margaret’s Church on 1 January 1920 and his family lived at 71 Beresford Road. By 1939 his parents were living at 6 Suffolk Road.

John served with the 4th Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment. In autumn 1940 the Battalion was on coastal defence in the Great Yarmouth area and then moved to Brooke, and then Cambridge. In early 1941 the Battalion was sent to Scotland, then Blackburn, and Ross-on-Wye. On 29 October 1941 the Battalion sailed from Liverpool and landed at Bombay on 29 December 1941 as part of the 18th (East Anglian) Division. On 19 January 1942 the Battalion re-embarked for Singapore and landed there on 29 January 1942. On 11 February the Battalion went into action at the racecourse, before falling back to defend the perimeter. On 15 February the British forces at Singapore were forced to surrender and the remaining men of the 4th Battalion went into captivity. 

John was official reported as missing on 15 February 1942. Official Casualty List 1985, of 13 February 1946, shows that John was officially recorded as having been killed in action on 12 February 1942. Eye-witnesses reported that he was last seen on 12 February 1942, at Bukit Timah, walking toward the racecourse area.