1915 Coo-ee March

William Charles WALKER

Per his initial military service record (4616), William Charles Walker was born at Norfolk, England. He gave his age as 22 years and 10 months, his marital status as single, and his occupation as labourer. His description on his medical was height 5 feet 6 ½ inches tall, weight 10 stone 4 lbs, with a medium fair complexion, brown eyes, and dark brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England. He had a tattoo mark of clasped hands and English and American flags on his right forearm. He completed his medical at Molong on 22^nd October 1915, and was attested by Captain Nicholas at Molong (8 miles east) on 22^nd October 1915. He claimed to have no previous military experience.

It was reported in The Western Champion that the Parkes Recruiting Association had held a recruiting meeting ‘for the purpose of enrolling recruits who were willing to join the volunteers now on the way, by road, from Gilgandra to Sydney’, and that ‘five men had mounted the lorry in response to the appeal’, and that ‘one of them went on to Dubbo’, with the remaining four planning to proceed to Molong to join the contingent.[1] William Charles Walker was one of the four recruits sent by the Parkes Recruiting Association to join the Coo-ees at Molong.

After completing the march he went to Liverpool Camp as reinforcement for the 13^th Battalion.

On his embarkation roll his address at time of enrolment was Wayvilla, Melford Street, Hurlstone Park, Sydney, N,S,W., and his next of kin is listed as his father, M. Walker, 6^th St. Clement Street, Barnsbury, London, England.

On 16^th February 1916 Private Walker was one of the first group of Coo-ees to embark overseas, and departed Sydney on the HMAT Ballarat A70 as 14^th reinforcement for the 13^th Battalion.

HMAT Ballarat A70, 18/2/1916. Photograph from the AWM Collection PB0182.

The HMAT Ballarat A70 arrived in Egypt on 22^nd March 1916. On 1^st April 1916 Private Walker was transferred to the 54^th Battalion.

On 19^th June 1916 Private Walker left Alexandria aboard H.T. Caledonian bound for France, and arrived at Marseilles on 29^th June 1916.

Just three weeks later, on 19^th/20^th July 1916 Private Walker was wounded in action during the Battle of Fromelles, receiving a gunshot wound to his right arm. On 22^nd July 1916 he was placed aboard the Hospital Ship Cambria at Boulogne, bound for England. On 23^rd July 1916 he was admitted to the Southwark Military Hospital at East Dulwich, England.

He was discharged from hospital on 18^th September 1916 and marched into the 14^th Training Battalion.

His service record holds a certified extract of a marriage certificate for William Charles Walker and Jessie Elizabeth Browning at the Parish of St. James Church, Islington, dated 16^th December 1916.

On 22^nd February 1917 Private Walker was charged with being absent without leave from Tattoo on 2^nd February 1917 till 0850 on 18^th February 1917. He was awarded 17 days detention and fined 31 days pay.

On 16^th March 1917 Private Walker was admitted to the Wareham Isolation Hospital suffering from Mumps. He was discharged and sent to the Number 4 Command Depot on 4^th April 1917.

On 28^th April 1917 Private Walker was charged with being absent without leave from Tattoo from 18^th April 1917 until 22^rd April 1917. He was awarded 6 days Field Punishment Number 2 and fined 16 days pay.

On 10^th May 1917 Private Walker was transferred to the 61^st Battalion.

On 6^th July 1917 Private Walker went before a District Court Martial at Hurdcott charged with being absent without leave from Tattoo from 12^th May 1917 till apprehended by the Military Police at 2030 on 12^th June 1917. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 60 days detention and fined 115 days pay. He was sent to the Wadsworth detention barracks to undergo his sentence. He was released from Wadsworth Detention Barracks on 27^th August 1917 and marched into the 61^st Battalion.

On 13^th September 1917 Private Walker departed Southampton bound for France, to reinforce the 54^th Battalion. He marched into his unit in the 54^th Battalion in France on 2^nd October 1917.

On 30^th January 1918 Private Walker was charged with being absent without leave from 9 pm on 21^st November 1917 till apprehended by the Military Police at 11 am on 11^th December 1917. He was awarded 24 days Field Punishment Number 2 and fined 45 days pay.

A letter in his service record from his mother dated 15^th October 1919 advised that his father, Matthew Walker, was killed in an air raid in London on 28^th January 1918.

On 5^th February 1918 Private Walker proceeded to the UK on leave. On 20^th February 1918 he was granted an extension of leave from 20^th to 27^th February 1918.

On 4^th April 1918 Private Walker went before a District Court Martial held at 58 Warwick Square, London, charged with being absent without leave in that he failed to report to the RTO at Victoria Station at 7.30am on 27^th February 1918 until he surrendered himself to the civil police on 24^th March 1918. He was fined 37 days pay.

On 23^rd April 1918 Private Walker went before another District Court Martial held at Warwick Square charged with deserting His Majesty’s Service on 7^th April 1918 by failing to proceed overseas to join his unit in France as it was his duty to do and remained absent without leave till apprehended by the Civil Police in London on 15^th April 1918. He pleaded not guilty and was found guilty. He was sentenced to 6 months detention and fined 199 days pay.

On 24^th April 1918 Private Walker marched into the Lewes Detention barracks to undergo his sentence.

On 15^th August 1918 he was discharged from detention with the remainder of his sentence suspended, to march into Number 1 Command Depot at Sutton Veny, England.

His service record shows that he was reported absent without leave again a week later.

On 12^th November 1918 Private Walker went before a District Court Martial charged with being absent without leave from 2359 on 22^nd August 1918 till 0730 on 3^rd October 1918 (when he returned), then being absent without leave from 0900 on 12^th October 1918 till 0930 on 2^nd November 1918. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 120 days detention.

On 27^th November 1918 Private Walker marched into the Lewes Detention barracks to undergo his sentence. On 13^th February 1919 he was released from detention with the remainder of his sentence suspended, to the 54^th Battalion.

On 6^th March 1919 Private Walker was charged with being absent without leave from 1400 on 17^th February 1919 till 1700 on 28^th February 1919. The matter was dismissed.

On 15^th March 1919 Private Walker was charged with being absent without leave from 0900 on 11^th March 1919 till 1200 on 14^th March 1919. He was awarded 5 days Field Punishment Number 2 and fined 9 days pay.

On 19^th April 1919 Private Walker was charged with being absent without leave from 13^th April 1919 to 17^th April 1919. The case was dismissed.

On 17^th July 1919 Private Walker was admitted to the 1^st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield, England. He was discharged on 21^st July 1919.

On 24^th August 1919 Private Walker was “granted indefinite leave awaiting, awaiting a family ship”.

Private Walker applied for discharge in the U.K., his reason stated in his Application for a Discharge in a Country other than Australia, dated 8^th September 1919, as: “My wife now being pregnant I think it wise for me to stay in England. My mother also getting on in years and her being a widow, I think it my duty to try and comfort her, but if returned to Australia, it would cause inconvenience on both sides. I can obtain employment, my relations are holding business in London. I must note the fact that my father was killed in an Air Raid over London on 28.1.18”.

This application was approved, and he was discharged in London on 18^th December 1919.

[1] ‘Marching to Sydney’, Western Champion, 21 October 1915, p. 19, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article112309615