Private Harold Esdale CHANDLER (2879607)
1st Battalion London Scottish Regiment

Date of birth: 26th August 1917
Date of death: 6th September 1944

Died of wounds aged 27
Buried at Montecchio War Cemetery Plot II Row G Grave 14
He was born at Yokohama, Japan on the 26th of August 1917, the son of George William Chandler, merchant, and Elsie Catherine (nee Esdale) of 34 Kendall Avenue, Sanderstead, Surrey.

He was educated at the Junior King's School from September 1929 and at the King's School Canterbury from May 1931 to July 1934, where he was in Langley House.

In 1940 he joined the London Scottish as a Private and saw action in the Middle East and in Italy.

On the 5th of September 1944 the 1st Battalion London Scottish were ordered to attack the village of Croce that night. They moved forward shortly after midnight on the 6th and reached the start line under sporadic enemy shelling. They were supposed to attack at 01.30 hours but the preliminary artillery barrage did not take place so they were halted after covering only two hundred yards. The attack had been postponed but the message had not been received by the battalion and they moved to the attack at 03.30 hours.

When the artillery opened fire the enemy were so overwhelmed that little opposition was encountered and by 05.30 hours they were established on their objective of the Palazzo-Croce Ridge. B Company was forced to withdraw when they came under fire from their own artillery. They had captured a number of prisoners along with a quantity of guns and equipment.

He was married in the spring of 1941 to Catherine Elizabeth (nee Isitt) of Newport in Monmouthshire; they had a son.

His brother, Corporal Norman Esdale Chandler OKS 1st Battalion London Scottish, died of wounds on the 5th of February 1944.

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