John Henry Gladden

From Darlington, he joined the 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion DLI in January 1942 and later served in Italy with the 16th Battalion DLI. 70 DLI was formed in 1940 for young men aged only 18 or 19 who volunteered before they were due to be called up. Based first at Aycliffe, 70 DLI later moved to Barnard Castle. Many of these Young Soldiers later served with distinction in Italy with 16 DLI.