H
e was the son of Leonard William and Annie French of Docking; living in Docking, he worked at the International Stores in Burnham Market. He was serving with 5th Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment (Private 5827948) in Singapore in February 1942 when he was captured by the Japanese army. After a period of toil on the infamous Siam to Burma railway under appalling conditions he was taken by sea to Japan, along with other unfortunates, and put to work in the Osaka shipyards. He died there as a Prisoner of War on 25th July 1943, aged 23 years. His name is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial (Column 55) in the Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore, one of 24,000 soldiers and airmen united in service to the British Crown but to whom the fortunes of war denied the customary rites awarded to their comrades in death.