Staff Sergeant Henry A Emblen

Henry Arthur Emblen was the son of George and Rose May Emblen, of Aldershot, Hampshire.

He served with the Royal Army Medical Corps, and volunteered for parachute duties during World War II; qualifying as a military parachutist on course 31, which ran at RAF Ringway in October 1942.

S/Sgt Emblen was posted to 127 Parachute Field Ambulance, which had become operational earlier in the year, and deployed with the unit to North Africa in 1943.

He later took part in the amphibious landings in Italy in September 1943, onboard a mine layer, HMS Abdiel. Unfortunately, HMS Abdiel struck a mine in Taranto Harbour causing significant casualties and loss of life, including S/Sgt Emblen.

S/Sgt Emblen died on 10 September 1943, aged 26 years, and is now buried in Bari War Cemetery, Italy.

Headstone photograph courtesy of Bob Hilton.