Christopher Sydney Gingell
Memorial: Badminton Memorial Hall - Hayes Lane
Regiment: Royal Artillery
Medals: 1939–45 Star, War Medal 1939–1945
Rank and number: Gunner 1714916
Parents: Sidney George and Hannah Rose Gingell
Home address: Sodbury Road, Badminton, Gloucestershire. He lived at Easton Town Farm, Sherston, Wilts
Pre-war occupation: Valet
Date of birth: 25/12/1910
Place of birth: Bristol
Date of death: 27/11/1942
Buried/Commemorated at: His ashes are buried at Yokohama Cremation Memorial in a communal urn together with those of 334 other service men who died as POWs in Japan.
Age: 31
Further information:
15 Battalion, 6 H.A.A. Regiment, Royal Artillery, British Army.
Christopher was the son of a general labourer and 1 of 7 children, having 4 sisters and 2 brothers. His regiment fought in the Battle of France, was evacuated from Dunkirk, defended London and the Midlands in the Battle of Britain and was later sent to the Middle East where ill-equipped and facing overwhelming odds they were captured in Java on 12th March 1942. In April 1942 Christopher and other Allied POWS were sent to Japan to supplement the Japanese work force which was running short of manpower. He died 8 months later in a POW camp where disease and malnutrition claimed over 10% of allied prisoners.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Heavy_Anti-Aircraft_Regiment,_Royal_Artillery
http://www.powresearch.jp/en/archive/camplist/index.html