Lance Sergeant Ernest D. Edlin
2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment

Early Life

Ernest was born in Woking in 1907. His father Charles was a butcher from Harefield in Middlesex and his mother Florence was from Windsor. Ernest had an older brother (Frederick) and two older sisters (Ethel and Gladys), another sibling died in infancy. In 1911 the family lived at Melbourne Villas, Ellen Street, Woking.

After leaving school he worked as a pharmacist.

Military Career

Ernest served with the 2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment. At the outbreak of war the unit was posted to Mhow in India. They spent much of the next three years on policing duties. Over this period the regiment was severely depleted in numbers, firstly due to illness (over half the battalion contracted malaria) and secondly as men (keen to see some action), asked to be transferred to front line units such as the Parachute Regiment. In 1941 Ernest was awarded the BEM.

In October 1943 the battalion was finally on the move. They sailed from Madras aboard the SS Ethiopia bound for Chittagong (in modern day Bangladesh) and then marched for a week to Waybin in Northern India.

On 24 January 1944 the 2nd Battalion attacked a Japanese outpost that had been giving them sporadic trouble since the beginning of the month. At first they were driven back by machine gun fire from previously unlocated bunkers, together with mortar fire and grenades. After four days of fighting the battalion eventually took the position and managed to dig in but continued attacks from nearby outposts forced them to withdraw soon after. Ernest was killed on the second day of fighting.

Ernest has no known grave and is remembered on the Rangoon Memorial. He is also remembered on a stone in Windlesham church where it is noted that he was a chorister.