Private Joseph Duckworth Manchester Regiment
General Service Medal 'Palestine'. 1939-45 Star. Pacific Star. Defence Medal. War Medal 1939-45.
The Man Joseph Duckworth was born on Saturday 24th July 1920 at 14 Astley Street, Dukinfield, Chester, son of Joseph senior, an Oiler, Greaser and Rope Splicer and Ann Pate nee Dugdale. He was one of five Brothers, Norman born in 1903 who died shortly after birth, Hilton 1905-1968, John 1908 and Allan 1911 and baptised in St Marks, Dukinfield on 5th September.
The 1921 census shows the family, with Joseph barely a year old, living at 14 Astley Street, Dukinfield. Sadly, Ann died in 1927 when Joseph was aged just 7, leaving his father to bring up the family.
Following his education, in about 1937, Joseph junior enlisted into the 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment as a Private with service number 3528508. In 1936 the Manchester Regiment had been selected for conversion to a fully mechanised machine gun regiment and by 1937 their training was complete. He was posted to the Middle East when the battalion moved to Palestine in January 1938. The 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine was a nationalist uprising by Palestinian Arabs in Mandatory Palestine against British colonial rule, as a demand for independence and opposition to mass Jewish immigration. For his service he was awarded the General Service Medal with clasp ‘Palestine’. It is possible he served under Sergeant John Axon, who also appears in this collection and met the same subsequent fate.
In September 1938 the battalion embarked for Singapore on Garrison duties; during the interwar years, Britain had established a naval base in Singapore after the Anglo-Japanese alliance had lapsed in 1923. As part of the Singapore strategy, the base formed a key part of British interwar defence planning for the region. Financial constraints had hampered construction efforts during the intervening period and shifting strategic circumstances largely undermined key premises behind the strategy by the time war broke out in the Pacific.
At the start of World War II on 3rd September 1939 Joseph was still in Singapore and the Regiment involved in beach defences. Until December 1941 the battalion worked incessantly on strengthening their line with wire, anti-boat obstacles and the construction of supporting posts in an effort to defend Singapore from Japanese invasion.
As the Japanese moved swiftly south through Malaya, the Manchester’s were involved in the heavy fighting for the defence of Singapore but at its fall on 15th February 1942, Joseph was captured and taken prisoner by the Japanese, initially held at Changi; he was later one of those to become part of ‘Force F’, prisoners forced to work in the Japanese labour camps on the notorious Burma-Siam Railway, in close proximity to the Thailand-Burma border. He travelled overland in one of the railway box carriages probably leaving Changi on 26th April the journey taking four or five days in the extreme heat with little food or water.
Arrival was followed by a 300-kilometre march to their camp. Joseph survived just over a year working on the railway and succumbed to the harsh treatment by the Japanese, dying of colitis and beri beri on 5th September 1943, aged just 23 whilst at Tambya Camp in Burma. He was initially buried at the camp but after the war his remains were re-interred in Thanbyuzayat Cemetery, Burma, plot B1.D.11.
Joseph was posthumously awarded the 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45, which were sent to his father.
As was so often the case, news of his demise was slow to reach his family and his disappearance, capture and death were all reported to the War Office Casualty Branch on 21st March 1942, 15th February 1942 and 20th November 1945 respectively.
The 1921 census shows the family, with Joseph barely a year old, living at 14 Astley Street, Dukinfield. Sadly, Ann died in 1927 when Joseph was aged just 7, leaving his father to bring up the family.
Following his education, in about 1937, Joseph junior enlisted into the 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment as a Private with service number 3528508. In 1936 the Manchester Regiment had been selected for conversion to a fully mechanised machine gun regiment and by 1937 their training was complete. He was posted to the Middle East when the battalion moved to Palestine in January 1938. The 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine was a nationalist uprising by Palestinian Arabs in Mandatory Palestine against British colonial rule, as a demand for independence and opposition to mass Jewish immigration. For his service he was awarded the General Service Medal with clasp ‘Palestine’. It is possible he served under Sergeant John Axon, who also appears in this collection and met the same subsequent fate.
In September 1938 the battalion embarked for Singapore on Garrison duties; during the interwar years, Britain had established a naval base in Singapore after the Anglo-Japanese alliance had lapsed in 1923. As part of the Singapore strategy, the base formed a key part of British interwar defence planning for the region. Financial constraints had hampered construction efforts during the intervening period and shifting strategic circumstances largely undermined key premises behind the strategy by the time war broke out in the Pacific.
At the start of World War II on 3rd September 1939 Joseph was still in Singapore and the Regiment involved in beach defences. Until December 1941 the battalion worked incessantly on strengthening their line with wire, anti-boat obstacles and the construction of supporting posts in an effort to defend Singapore from Japanese invasion.
As the Japanese moved swiftly south through Malaya, the Manchester’s were involved in the heavy fighting for the defence of Singapore but at its fall on 15th February 1942, Joseph was captured and taken prisoner by the Japanese, initially held at Changi; he was later one of those to become part of ‘Force F’, prisoners forced to work in the Japanese labour camps on the notorious Burma-Siam Railway, in close proximity to the Thailand-Burma border. He travelled overland in one of the railway box carriages probably leaving Changi on 26th April the journey taking four or five days in the extreme heat with little food or water.
Arrival was followed by a 300-kilometre march to their camp. Joseph survived just over a year working on the railway and succumbed to the harsh treatment by the Japanese, dying of colitis and beri beri on 5th September 1943, aged just 23 whilst at Tambya Camp in Burma. He was initially buried at the camp but after the war his remains were re-interred in Thanbyuzayat Cemetery, Burma, plot B1.D.11.
Joseph was posthumously awarded the 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45, which were sent to his father.
As was so often the case, news of his demise was slow to reach his family and his disappearance, capture and death were all reported to the War Office Casualty Branch on 21st March 1942, 15th February 1942 and 20th November 1945 respectively.
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Joseph Duckworth's Medal Award Certificate
Box of award for the General Service Medal
The Story The medals awarded to Joseph Duckworth were acquired from E-Bay on 9th May 2025 and of interest as Joseph had perished working on the Burma Railway, a sub-theme of this collection.
Interestingly Joseph was in the Manchester Regiment, as was another man in his collection, John AXON and they both appear on the same page for the award of the General Service Medal ’Palestine’ before the war, they most likely served together and knew each other.
A lot of the information had already been downloaded by the vendor and ancestry subsequently helped fill in some of his earlier life enabling a brief biography to be pieced together.
Sadly at the time of writing, Myanmar is still a ‘no go’ country and his grave cannot yet be visited.
Interestingly Joseph was in the Manchester Regiment, as was another man in his collection, John AXON and they both appear on the same page for the award of the General Service Medal ’Palestine’ before the war, they most likely served together and knew each other.
A lot of the information had already been downloaded by the vendor and ancestry subsequently helped fill in some of his earlier life enabling a brief biography to be pieced together.
Sadly at the time of writing, Myanmar is still a ‘no go’ country and his grave cannot yet be visited.
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Joseph Duckworh's General Service Medal
Japanese Prisoner of War Record
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Joseph Duckworth's grave in Thanbyuzayat Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery, Myanmar.
Joseph DUCKWORTH is one of 26 soldiers in this collection who perished whilst working on the Burma Railaway and whose final resting place is Kanchanaburi or Chungkai Commonwealth War Cemeteries in Thailand or Thanbyuzayat in Myanmar.
May their souls rest in eternal peace. Click on each name to read about:
May their souls rest in eternal peace. Click on each name to read about:
- John AXON
- Thomas BURNS
- William James Johnstone BYERS
- Percy Denis CORNWELL
- Walter Richard COLBERT
- Harold Edward EKE
- Kenneth Robert EYLAND
- Charles Nevil Worton FOX
- Denys John HYDE
- George Sidney JOHNSON
- Charles Roger LLOYD
- Stanley Richard LOVEDAY
- Myles McMANUS
- Raymond Ernest MADGETT
- Alfred Arthur MANNING
- John MARKS
- Horace Edgar MAXWELL
- James Gordon MITCHELL
- Edward John PHILLIPS
- George Edward RUDDICK
- Kenneth William SHIPP
- Harold Norman SPALDING
- Alfred Henry STEVENS
- Walter Leonard TAYLOR
- Henry Garnsey VEITCH
Medal Details:
- General Service Medal: 3528508 PTE. J. DUCKWORTH. MANCH
- 1939-45 Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Pacific Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
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This page last updated 12 May 25
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