Lance Corporal Walter Leonard Taylor The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)
1939-45 Star. Pacific Star. Defence Medal. War Medal 1939-45.
The Man Walter Leonard Taylor was born on Friday 23rd August 1912 at 48 Punderson Gardens, Bethnal Green, London, son of George Wilfred a Coalman, Iron Dealer and later Iron Foundry Labourer and Florence Maud nee Wingrove. He was baptised on 4th September at St Jude’s Church Bethnal Green by the Rev H C Strickland.
Walter was one of 13 children George born in 1903, William 1905, Florence 1908, Edwin Albert (1910 – 1988),
Henry George (1914–1939), Albert Robinson 1916, another Albert 1917, Alfred C 1919, Lillian Frances (1921-2016), Elsie (1923-) Ernest Stanley (1927–1999) and Stanley Leslie (1929-1987). However, the records are very confusing and this may not be completely correct.
Following his education and during the early 1930s, Walter enlisted into the Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) as a Private and with service number 3854747, he was promoted to Lance Corporal and appears to have been a keen footballer being awarded regimental sports medallions, one dated 1934. The 1939 Register shows his family living at 20 Clare Street, Bethnal Green and Walter is not listed.
He was posted to the 2nd Battalion and upon the commencement of hostilities in 1939, found themselves stationed in the Far East as part of Singapore Fortress's 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 2nd Loyals fought in Malaya as part of the delaying action during the Battle of Malaya.
Eventually, the 2nd Battalion surrendered along with the rest of the Singapore garrison on 15 February 1942. Walter was taken as Prisoner of War of the Imperial Japanese Army. He was entrained to Kanchanaburi in Thailand with many other PoWs to work on the notorious Burma Railway.
Walter survived until 28th August 1943, just five days after his 31st birthday, he succumbed to the harsh treatment meted out by the Japanese and died of Cholera. He was immediately cremated and his ashes interred in Don Rak Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery, Kanchanaburi, Thailand, his name being recorded in the Special Memorial within the cemetery.
Walter was posthumously awarded the 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45, these being sent to his mother at 20 Clare Street, Hackney Road, London, the same address he had given upon his capture.
Walter was one of 13 children George born in 1903, William 1905, Florence 1908, Edwin Albert (1910 – 1988),
Henry George (1914–1939), Albert Robinson 1916, another Albert 1917, Alfred C 1919, Lillian Frances (1921-2016), Elsie (1923-) Ernest Stanley (1927–1999) and Stanley Leslie (1929-1987). However, the records are very confusing and this may not be completely correct.
Following his education and during the early 1930s, Walter enlisted into the Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) as a Private and with service number 3854747, he was promoted to Lance Corporal and appears to have been a keen footballer being awarded regimental sports medallions, one dated 1934. The 1939 Register shows his family living at 20 Clare Street, Bethnal Green and Walter is not listed.
He was posted to the 2nd Battalion and upon the commencement of hostilities in 1939, found themselves stationed in the Far East as part of Singapore Fortress's 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 2nd Loyals fought in Malaya as part of the delaying action during the Battle of Malaya.
Eventually, the 2nd Battalion surrendered along with the rest of the Singapore garrison on 15 February 1942. Walter was taken as Prisoner of War of the Imperial Japanese Army. He was entrained to Kanchanaburi in Thailand with many other PoWs to work on the notorious Burma Railway.
Walter survived until 28th August 1943, just five days after his 31st birthday, he succumbed to the harsh treatment meted out by the Japanese and died of Cholera. He was immediately cremated and his ashes interred in Don Rak Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery, Kanchanaburi, Thailand, his name being recorded in the Special Memorial within the cemetery.
Walter was posthumously awarded the 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45, these being sent to his mother at 20 Clare Street, Hackney Road, London, the same address he had given upon his capture.
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Walter Leonard Taylor's posthumous Medal Award Certificate and award box addressed to his mother Florence as Clare St, Hackney.
The Story The medals awarded to Walter Leonard Taylor were acquired from Worcestershire Medal Service on Friday 22nd November 2024. They were spotted very late in the evening, whilst at the annual Weekend of Medals event in Bromsgrove and only whilst perusing their website for a different group for another collector.
They were of immediate interest as soldiers who perished working on the Burma Railway are a sub-theme of this collection. Following some frantic late night messaging the group were acquired and came together with the box of award, to his mother and named medal certificate, all excellent provenance. There were also three football medallions to the Loyal Regiment with the group although not named to Walter.
As usual, Ancestry provided sufficient details to enable a brief biography to be pieced together and the Special Memorial at Kanchanaburi was visited on Saturday 28th December 2024 and a poppy cross laid named to Walter.
Another wretched soul who suffered mercilessly at the hands of the Japanese is now remembered and his final resting place visited.
They were of immediate interest as soldiers who perished working on the Burma Railway are a sub-theme of this collection. Following some frantic late night messaging the group were acquired and came together with the box of award, to his mother and named medal certificate, all excellent provenance. There were also three football medallions to the Loyal Regiment with the group although not named to Walter.
As usual, Ancestry provided sufficient details to enable a brief biography to be pieced together and the Special Memorial at Kanchanaburi was visited on Saturday 28th December 2024 and a poppy cross laid named to Walter.
Another wretched soul who suffered mercilessly at the hands of the Japanese is now remembered and his final resting place visited.
Walter's Loyal Regiment sports medallions, one dated 1934 Churchward Cup.
St Jude's Church, Bethnal Green
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Don Rak Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery, Kanchanaburi, Thailand. 28th December 2024.
George Wilfred Taylor, Walter's father
Walter Leonard TAYLOR 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:
- John AXON
- 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
- 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
- Henry Garnsey VEITCH
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This page last updated 28 Dec 24
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