John Ball
Lance Corporal John Ball, son of Martin & Helen Ball of Ormskirk and husband of Audrey Ball. John, born 6th of December 1914, lived at 2 Ivy Cottages, Town End, Aughton Street and was working at the Irwin’s grocery store as a grocery assistant before the war. He had married Audrey Jackson in 1941. John was serving with in the 9th Battalion the Border Regiment. In May 1942 the 9th Battalion sailed for India on HMT Orcades, transhipping at Durban, disembarking at Bombay entraining to Calcutta, where, on arriving early August. The 9th Battalion fought along side the 17th Division, mainly consisting of Gurkha Regiments. Within months John was fighting in the most difficult of forested hills and valleys on extremely challenging terrain. It was in the Chin Hills that the 9th Battalion gained its first battle experience patrolling in mountainous country along jungle tracks often involving climbs and descents of 3,000 to 4,000 feet. Several successful fighting patrols were carried out, not without casualties. On the Imphal Plain and in its surrounding hills the Battalion fought at Llango near Palel and at Potsangbam,(aka Pots and pans to the Allies) O.P. Hill and on the Silchar Track in the Bishnupur area.
During this period of fighting the Battalion`s casualty list was 7 officers, and 81 Other Ranks killed and 12 Officers and 245 Other Ranks wounded. John was posted as missing believed killed along with 3 of his comrades on the 21st of May 1944. A month later his parents had word that he was Posted as Missing but there was no confirmation of his death. He was 29 years old. His body was not recovered in Burma (Myanmar), but he is remembered on the Rangoon Memorial.
George Edward Burrows
George Edward Burrows, a Corporal with the East Lancashire Regiment, died on the 24th of February 1944 aged 27 and is buried in the Taukkyan War Cemetery, Myanmar.
John Patrick Dolan served with the Royal Army Service Corps and died on Malaria on the 16 January 1945 Thailand. He is buried in the Chungkai War Cemetery. He was the son of Patrick and Elizabeth Dolan .
James Keating
Sergeant James Keating of the 1st Battalion the Manchester Regiment was reported missing on the 31st of January 1942 but was confirmed as killed in action in mid February and is buried in the Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore.
David Ellis Price
Fusilier David Ellis Price, son of Ellis and Elizabeth Price of Maghull, served with the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers and was killed on the 4th of June 1944 aged 27. He is buried in the Taukkyan War Cemetery, Myanmar.
Philip Wood Torr
Philip Wood Torr, 2nd Lieutenant with the Loyal Regiment (North Lancs) attended Ormskirk Grammar School and his father was the manager of the Midland Bank in Ormskirk before WW2. He had married Dorothy Schofield at St Cuthbert’s Church, Southport in November 1940. Philip was with the 167th Officer Cadet Training School at Droitwich just months before Captain Tom Moore (Retired), fund raiser during the pandemic, went to do his training there.
Philip was a member of the Hesketh Golf Club, a former playing member of the Ormskirk Cricket club and the Ormskirk Tennis club, being the first winner of the Mixed Doubles Tennis competition for the Rydal Shield in 1934, his playing partner was Miss Isobel Mary Webster, her father was the landlord of the Dray & Horses.
Philip was Gazetted in late 1940 and joined the Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry as a 2nd Lieutenant. By 1942 Philip was with the Loyal Regiment (North Lancs}in Somatra. He was posted as missing on the 15th of February 1942, which was the day after the Japanese swarmed onto Sumatra. Sumatra was captured by thousands of Japanese soldiers on the 24th of February 1942. Philip was killed on or after the 26th of February, the Allied forces were in retreat, and they were outnumbered. It would be February 1946 before Philip was officially declared as ‘Presumed Killed’.