Current Information:

73, Cann Hall Road, Leytonstone

In 1914 Germany had a naval base at Tsingtao in China and when Japan declared war on Germany in August of that year, they sent a force of 20,000 troops to capture it by bombarding and then laying siege to it. Britain, suspicious of its Japan’s intentions in the region, decided to send a naval force and 1,500 soldiers to support the operation and to keep an eye on proceedings. This force was made up of the 2nd South Wales Borderers, already in China when hostilities commenced and a detachment of 36th Sikhs from the Indian Army. But the German force of 4,000 soldiers defended the port stubbornly and it was not until 7th November that they surrendered. 2nd South Wales Borderers suffered over sixty casualties during this campaign, one of whom was Edward Bettis who died on 5th November.