David William Balls

A Private with 4th Bn., David died on 14th of February 1942 at the age of 29. 

David was born at Lowestoft on 23 June 1912, a son of Willie and Fanny Balls. He was baptised at Saint Peter's Church, Kirkley, on 10 July 1912, and his family lived at 21 Southwell Road. In 1939 their address was 76 Norwich Road Lowestoft. 

In 1937 David married Dorothy A. M. Aldred and in 1939 they lived at 5 The Shrubberies, Sutton Road, Leverington, near Wisbech, and David worked as a tailor's salesman.

In autumn 1939 the 4th Battalion Suffolk Regiment was on guard duty in the Lowestoft area and from July to September 1940 had various local deployments, including guarding Great Yarmouth. The Battalion then moved to Bedfordshire and then Scotland until April 1941. Next the Battalion moved to Bury, Lancashire, and Hereford, before embarking on the S.S. Andes at Liverpool and sailing for Halifax, Nov Scotia. The Battalion changed ship, to the American liner Wakefield, and sailed for Trinidad and then Cape Town, arriving on 9 December 1941. The Battalion was given three days shore leave.

The Battalion was part of 54 Brigade in the 18th (East Anglian) Division. 

With the Japanese entry into the war the Battalion was now allocated to the Far East and sailed for India, arriving on 5 January 1942. The Battalion had three weeks of training before embarking at Bombay and sailing for Singapore, arriving on 29 January 1942. The Battalion had orders to defend the Golf Course and then fell back to defend the perimeter before the Singapore garrison was forced to surrender on 15 February 1942. 

Ninety men of the Battalion were killed, or died of wounds, in the defence of Singapore and 865 were taken prisoner.      

David was reported as missing on 15 February 1942 and later was presumed to have been killed in action on 14 February 1942 (date from British Army Casualty List 1984 dated 12 February 1946).