Corporal Norman Esdale CHANDLER (2881102)
1st Battalion London Scottish Regiment

Date of birth: 12th June 1919
Date of death: 5th February 1944

Died of wounds aged 24
Buried at Anzio War Cemetery Plot II Row T Grave 2
He was born at Yokohama, Japan on the 12th of June 1919, 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 January 1933 to July 1936, where he was in Langley House and in Walpole House from 1935. He was a monitor, played for the Rugby XV in 1935 and was awarded his colours the same year. He also won colours for PT and for 2nd XI Cricket. He was a Lance Corporal in the Officer Training Corps.

During the war he enlisted as Private 2881102 in the London Scottish in 1940 and was promoted to Corporal in 1942. He saw action on the Middle East and Italy.

The Battalion landed at Anzio on the morning of the 3rd of February 1944. The battalion disembarked and incurred slight casualties as they moved inland and dug in. At midnight their Commanding Officer was summoned to a conference where he was informed that although the British forces had advanced well the Americans had been unable to advance as far and the British line now formed a dangerous salient into the German lines which needed to be evacuated. He returned to the battalion and the men were roused and moved forward, some two miles, to the base of the salient in darkness and dug in as the dawn broke, in pouring rain.

At 9am on the 4th of February they received word that they were to support the 6th Battalion Gordon Highlanders who were in the neck of the salient near Carroceto and were under pressure following a German counter attack in the early morning. The battalion was then moved forward in trucks for about two miles and marched for a further mile under harassing fire from the German artillery, to the Gordon's position. By this time the Gordons had lost three of their four rifle companies and were hanging on to their positions by a thread.

The London Scottish were ordered to attack the German positions on the ridge in front of the Gordon's positions with D Company on the right and B Company on the left. A Company would pass through these companies assuming the attack was successful and occupy another ridge beyond while C Company would be in reserve.

Zero hour was 3.30pm and casualties were taken in the early stages as the leading companies began advancing. By 5pm B and D Companies were on their objectives but A Company had taken heavy casualties from machine gun fire. Despite this set back, they too took their objective at 5.30pm.

Thanks largely to the intervention of the London Scottish the other three battalions in the salient were able to withdraw at 6pm, A Company, which was now very few in number, withdrew through the other two companies who then themselves retired. C Company held their position while the wounded were evacuated from the Regimental Aid Post and also retired at around midnight.

Norman Chandler was wounded during this action and was carried from the field. He was left by a Bren gun while help was fetched. When the stretcher bearers arrived he was not to be found although the gun was still there.

His brother, Private Harold Esdale Chandler OKS 1st Battalion London Scottish, died of wounds on the 6th of September 1944.
Walpole House

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