Gunner Henry Lindley Royal Artillery
1939-45 Star. Pacific Star. War Medal 1939-45.
The Man Henry Lindley was born on Wednesday 7th April 1915 at 25 Bass Street, Duckinfield, Chester, son of Henry senior a Gas Mains Layer and Harriet nee Black. He was one of four children, Frank (1917–1973), William (1919-), Ruth (1920–1986) and was baptised on 11th May in the Parish of St Marks.
The 1921 census shows the family living at 49 Charles Street, Duckinfield and Henry aged six at school. Following his education some years later he became an unqualified Pharmacy Assistant and the 1939 Register shows him living with his parents aged 24 still at the same address.
Following the outbreak of World War II on 3rd September 1939, Henry received his call up into the Royal Artillery as a Gunner with service number 1822078 and during the second quarter of 1940 married Hannah Maria Taylor in Hyde and living at 71 Charles Street. They did not have long to enjoy their marriage as Henry was embodied and in 1942 posted to shore up the defences in Singapore as part of the 9th Coast Regiment RA. Both the 7th and 9th Coast Regiments were formed in situ in Singapore, the 7th lost one of its Batteries to form the 9th Heavy and additional personnel including Henry were sent out from the UK to form the extra Batteries in 1942.
On 12th February 1942 the Coastal Batteries were destroyed and at 0130h on the 13th the garrison marched to the Indian Recreation Ground in Singapore where the Unit formed into an Infantry Battalion and were used as support troops. However, following the surrender to the Japanese, at 1630h on 15th February 1942 the Regiment ceased to exist as a fighting unit and disbanded – ‘Lost at Singapore’.
Henry became a Prisoner of War of the Japanese and was shipped overland to Thailand on 12th October 1942 and forced to work on the infamous Burma Railway at Tonchan Main Camp; the Tonchan POW Camps were a series of harsh, forced-labour camps established by the Japanese in Thailand to construct the Burma Railway. The area consisted of three distinct sites: Tonchan South, Tonchan Central, and Tonchan Spring.
Henry succumbed to the harsh treatment meted out by the Japanese and died of Cholera on 25th July 1943 aged 28. He was initially buried at Tonchan in Plot 80 and later reburied in Don Rak Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery, Kanchanaburi on 22nd February 1946 in plot 8.D.7.
Henry was posthumously awarded the 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star and War Medal 1939-45, these being sent to Hannah in November 1949 at 71 Charles Street, Duckinfield.
Hannah re-married in the third quarter to 1957 to Sydney Armitage and passed away in 1981
The 1921 census shows the family living at 49 Charles Street, Duckinfield and Henry aged six at school. Following his education some years later he became an unqualified Pharmacy Assistant and the 1939 Register shows him living with his parents aged 24 still at the same address.
Following the outbreak of World War II on 3rd September 1939, Henry received his call up into the Royal Artillery as a Gunner with service number 1822078 and during the second quarter of 1940 married Hannah Maria Taylor in Hyde and living at 71 Charles Street. They did not have long to enjoy their marriage as Henry was embodied and in 1942 posted to shore up the defences in Singapore as part of the 9th Coast Regiment RA. Both the 7th and 9th Coast Regiments were formed in situ in Singapore, the 7th lost one of its Batteries to form the 9th Heavy and additional personnel including Henry were sent out from the UK to form the extra Batteries in 1942.
On 12th February 1942 the Coastal Batteries were destroyed and at 0130h on the 13th the garrison marched to the Indian Recreation Ground in Singapore where the Unit formed into an Infantry Battalion and were used as support troops. However, following the surrender to the Japanese, at 1630h on 15th February 1942 the Regiment ceased to exist as a fighting unit and disbanded – ‘Lost at Singapore’.
Henry became a Prisoner of War of the Japanese and was shipped overland to Thailand on 12th October 1942 and forced to work on the infamous Burma Railway at Tonchan Main Camp; the Tonchan POW Camps were a series of harsh, forced-labour camps established by the Japanese in Thailand to construct the Burma Railway. The area consisted of three distinct sites: Tonchan South, Tonchan Central, and Tonchan Spring.
Henry succumbed to the harsh treatment meted out by the Japanese and died of Cholera on 25th July 1943 aged 28. He was initially buried at Tonchan in Plot 80 and later reburied in Don Rak Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery, Kanchanaburi on 22nd February 1946 in plot 8.D.7.
Henry was posthumously awarded the 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star and War Medal 1939-45, these being sent to Hannah in November 1949 at 71 Charles Street, Duckinfield.
Hannah re-married in the third quarter to 1957 to Sydney Armitage and passed away in 1981
Henry Lindley's Prisoner of War Record Card
The Story The medals awarded to Henry Lindley were acquired from E-Bay on 27th May 2026 following an offer made. They were seen following a cursory search of newly listed ‘medal groups’ and an immediate ‘must have’ as Henry had perished working on the Burma Railway and buried in Don Rak Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery in Kanachanaburi, Thailand – a sub-theme of this collection.
With the medals came the all-important box and named certificate of award, the box showing his wife as the recipient of the medals. Ancestry and Forces War Records enabled a reasonable biography of his short life to be pieced together and his grave was visited on Satuday 4th July 2026 and a poppy cross placed.
With the medals came the all-important box and named certificate of award, the box showing his wife as the recipient of the medals. Ancestry and Forces War Records enabled a reasonable biography of his short life to be pieced together and his grave was visited on Satuday 4th July 2026 and a poppy cross placed.
Henry Lindley's Medal Index Card showing posthumous award of his medlas to his wife Hannah.
|
|
Named Medal Award Certificate
Medal Award Box addressed to Mrs Hannah Lindley
|
|
|
|
Don Rak Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery, Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Saturday 4th July 2026.
Henry LINDLEY is one of 35 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:
- Arthur AIRD
- Jonathan William ALLEN
- John AXON
- John Alan BRATT
- Thomas BURNS
- William James Johnstone BYERS
- Walter Richard COLBERT
- Percy Denis CORNWELL
- Joseph DUCKWORTH
- 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
- Alexander MALCOLM
- Alfred Arthur MANNING
- John MARKS
- Horace Edgar MAXWELL
- James Gordon MITCHELL
- Edward John PHILLIPS
- Walter Leonard TAYLOR
- George Edward RUDDICK
- Kenneth William SHIPP
- Harold Norman SPALDING
- Alfred Henry STEVENS
- Harwood Alfred TAYLOR
- Douglas TRUMAN
- Alfred Robert Kitchener UNDERWOOD
- Alan Kirtley WATSON
- Henry Garnsey VEITCH
Medal Details:
- 1939-45 Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Pacific Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
This page last updated 5 Jul 26
183
