Private, East Surrey Regiment
Born: 30 June 1911
Died: 1 March 1942
Age at Death: 30
Died as a prisoner of war, March 1st 1942
Edwin Hatt was born on 30 June 1911 to Edwin Hatt, a solicitor, and his wife Mary (née Dodd). A keen sportsman and athlete who played rugby, cricket, hockey and football, he was instantly put in a number of 1st teams after joining Brighton College in 1925. Before the war, Hatt worked as an estate agent in London.
He joined the East Surrey Regiment in July 1940, and was sent to Singapore about a year later. His unit was part of the 80,000 strong Allied forces that surrendered with the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in February 1942. He died in a diphtheria epidemic shortly after the surrender and is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Singapore.
To mark Remembrance in 2023, a Brighton College family visited Kranji War Cemetery, and placed poppies on Edwin’s grave.
