George William Maltby

A Warrant Officer Class II (Company Sergeant Major) with the 5th Battalion. George died on 6th of August 1943 at the age of 42.

George was born at Lowestoft on 10 March 1903, a son of John and Beatrice Maltby. He was baptised at Saint Peter's Church, Kirkley, on 5 April 1903, and his family lived at 20 Lovewell Road, Lowestoft. By 1911 his family was living at 39 Park Road, Lowestoft, and by 1939 his parents lived at 15 Wollaston Road, Lowestoft. 

George married Florence Kathleen Bleakley in 1932, this was registered in the Farnham district. Florence came from Worcestershire and during the Second World War she served with the A.T.S.

During the First World War George served with the merchant navy and was awarded the British War Medal and the Mercantile Marine War Medal. After that war he enlisted in the Suffolk Regiment and in 1921 was at the regimental Depot. George continued to serve with the Suffolk Regiment and by 1937 was a Sergeant with the 2nd Battalion. He saw active service on the North-West Frontier of India in the late 1930s. It seems that as an experienced senior non-commissioned officer George was posted to the 5th Battalion, a territorial battalion of the regiment.      

In early 1940 the 5th Battalion Suffolk Regiment was based in the North Walsham, The Battalion then moved to Fulborn, Cambridgeshire; Hawick, Scotland; Liverpool; Anglesey; and then Leominster. On 27 October 1941 the Battalion embarked on the S.S. Reina del Pacifico 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 27 December 1941. The Battalion had three weeks of training before embarking at Bombay and sailing for Singapore, arriving on 29 January 1942. 

On arrival at Singapore the Battalion deployed to the rubber plantation and then moved to Ponggol Point at the north-east of the island. On 15 February 1942 they were holding positions at Bukit Timah Road near to Raffles College. The Battalion was forced to surrender on 15 February 1942. 

George was captured at the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. In 1943 he was officially acknowledged as being a prisoner of war. He died of cholera on 6 August 1943 and was cremated. Official Casualty List 1903 of 6 November 1945 gave confirmation that George had died on that date.  

George's brothers Frederick and Montague also died.

See also FEPOW