Notes
John Charles Goldingham was born in Surrey on 25 April 1921, the son of Major Philip Goldingham and Phyllis (née Batt). He was educated at Canford School from 1935. In 1940 he entered Worcester College but left to join the army before taking his degree. While at Oxford he played Laertes in the Friends of the OUDS production of Hamlet in 1941.
John Goldingham enlisted in the army where he rose to the rank of Lance Corporal before being commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the Indian Army on 12 December 1942. He was attached to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Gurkha Rifles. On 1 March 1942 his battalion was at Kanlan, Burma, when two of its commanding officers were killed by Japanese artillery. John Goldingham was placed in command of C Company and on 4 March was ordered to open a corridor through the jungle to make contact with the 1st Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment further forward. At noon, John Goldingham reported that he had attacked and destroyed one enemy position and that he was about to attack a second one. By 2.30pm nothing further had been heard from Goldingham and Major Bates assumed command of C Company and continued the advance, subsequently finding John Goldingham lying in some long grass, badly wounded. He was evacuated to the Regimental Aid Post in the rear. Captain John Goldingham died of his wounds two weeks later, on 19 March 1945, aged 23.
John Goldingham is buried in Taukkyan War Cemetery. He is commemorated on the war memorials at Canford School, and Worcester College, Oxford.