BEM & Korea group to Pte D.C. Stockting - quite a character!

Private Donald Charles Stockting (No.14468948), born 22nd Jan 1928, in Swanage, had a colourful, and often turbulent, career in the British Army. From his early days as a mess boy to his time in the General Service Corps, Royal Army Reserve, Dorsetshire Regiment, and Gloucestershire Regiment, Stockting's service was punctuated by numerous periods of close arrest and court martials for offences ranging from AWOL to striking a superior officer!

At one point he was sentenced to a further six months in a military prison, and a stoppage of pay to clear the damages to the "willfully and maliciously injured cell door"!

Stockting's story takes a dramatic turn with the outbreak of the Korean War. In April 1951, he found himself on the front lines of the brutal Battle of the Imjin River, specifically the epic stand at Hill 235, where the Glosters famously held ground, facing overwhelming odds against the Chinese Spring Offensive. His experiences during this harrowing battle, where he was eventually captured and endured 28 months as a POW, are a testament to his unyielding spirit.

Stockting, accustomed to imprisonment, became a constant source of trouble to his captors. With two other soldiers he made an escape from his Prisoner of War Camp and was at large for six days. His conduct as a Prisoner of War far exceeded expectations, earning him the British Empire Medal for his gallantry and distinguished service.

For more details about the medals and a full write up of this amazing story, please CLICK HERE