Bombardier Gordon Edward Gostling

Service No: 984498 – 178 Field Regiment Royal Artillery

 

Gordon Edward Gostling was born 23rd February 1915 the second son of Edward Horace Gostling, a Postal Worker and Frances Alice née Burgess who lived in Erdington, Birmingham. They were very much a military family stemming from Gordon’s grandfather William Gostling who fought in the Ashanti colonial war at Coomassie, West Africa in the 1870’s.

Gordon’s father served as 2nd Lieutenant with the Royal Engineers during the First World War. His four uncles also served in WW1. William served as a Sergeant in the Royal Garrison Artillery, Leonard emigrated in 1913 and served with the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force, Herbert was a sergeant in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and Thomas was a 2nd Lieutenant with the Leicestershire regiment. Thomas suffered serious shrapnel injuries and he eventually died of his wounds.

In 1936 the family is registered as living at 46 Beaufort Avenue, Ward End, Birmingham. By 1939 the family had moved to 51 Heathland Avenue, Castle Bromwich and Gordon was working as a Costing Clerk. Later that same year he joined the war effort serving with the 178 Field Royal Regiment of Artillery based in Woolwich, SE London.

Gordon was attached to the 178 Field Regiment which served in India and Burma from 1943. This regiment had been formed in the United Kingdom in January 1942 from a battery of the 140th Field Regiment and independent batteries. It served under Home Forces and the 49th Infantry Division before leaving the United Kingdom in March 1943 to sail to India arriving in June 1943.

 

Arakan Province

Various offensives were launched during 1942-43 into the coastal Arakan Province of Burma intending to reoccupy the Mayu Peininsula and Akyab Island which had a strategically important airfield. But, repeated attacks against the Japanese failed with the British and Indians sustaining heavy losses.

178 Field Regiment was involved in a renewed offensive at Mayu Peninsula in Burma from 30th December 1943 until 6th April 1944. Known as the Second Battle of Arakan it involved was tough jungle fighting to try to extricate the Japanese. But the strategic advantages had shifted decisively. Improvements in Allied leadership, training and logistics, together with greater firepower and growing Allied air superiority, giving the allied forces the advantage.

Gordon was killed in action serving with his regiment in the Arakan region on 28th March 1944 aged 29 and is buried at Taukkyan War Cemetery, Burma (Myanmar), his cross is inscribed “sleep on in honoured rest”, he is also commemorated at the war memorial at The Green, Castle Bromwich.