Sapper Barnden was born in Walton-le-Soken, Essex, Son of Arthur Elisha and Elizabeth Garnett Barnden.

He was a pre-war regular soldier, often referred to as the ‘Old Contemptibles’, who formed the British Expeditionary Force sent to the Western Front on the outbreak of war. He was killed on 12 December 1914 near Neuve-Église in Belgium aged 25 and buried at at Kandahar Farm Cemetery. The grave was marked with his regiment and a date of death, but not his name.

Thanks to evidence submitted by a researcher, Stanley’s final resting place was identified and his grave is now marked by a CWGC headstone to be cared for in perpetuity.