Richard Joseph Breach

A Private with the 6th Battalion, Richard died on 20 October 1943 at the age of 25.

Richard was born at Lowestoft on 9 October 1918, a son of Ernest Edward and Syrena Breach. A note in prisoner of war records suggests that Richard was born at 19 Saint Aubyns Road, Pakefield. In 1921 his family lived at 12 Carlton Road, and this was still their home when Richard’s father died in 1934. 

In autumn 1939 Richard married Florence Marjorie Poll at Lowestoft. The 1939 Register shows Florence living at 22 Duke’s Head Street, and this was still her home in 1945. Later Florence married Alan Grint.

Richard was working as a labourer when he enlisted in the Army. He joined the Royal Norfolk Regiment, service number 5776156, and was posted to the 6th Battalion. 

In late 1939 the 6th Battalion was stationed at Sheringham and in spring 1940 guarded the coast from Sheringham to Overstrand. In August 1940 the Battalion moved to Holt and later in the year they moved to Weybourne, and then Swaffham.

The 6th Battalion was part of the 18th (East Anglian) Division and in January 1941 the Division moved to Scotland until April when they moved to Hartford and in August to Knowsley Park, Lancashire.

In October the Division received orders that they were to go overseas, and the 6th Battalion embarked on the S.S. Duchess of Atholl, at Gourouk, and sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 27 October 1941. The Battalion, being part of the 53rd Brigade, was transferred to S.S. Mount Vernon and sailed for Trinidad and then Cape Town, arriving on 9 December 1941 and three days shore leave was granted.

On 13 December 1941 they sailed for Bombay, but orders came redirecting them to Mombassa and then Singapore, where they disembarked on 13 January 1942. From 16 January they were involved in the battle to save Malaya. 

Richard was reported missing at Singapore on 15 February 1942. A note in prisoner of war records states ‘overland 19 March 1943’ which may indicate that he left Singapore, by land, on that date. Richard died from ‘indigestion’. Richard was buried at Chungkai which was a base camp on the Thai-Burma railway and had its own hospital. 

With thanks to Trevor Faulkner.