Walter Eugene Cockram

Walter Eugene Cockram

Ancestry.com
Personal Information
Date of Birth	26 Oct 1882
Place of Birth	Kelmscott, Western Australia
Death	22 Jul 1947, aged 63
Place of Death	Gosnells, Western Austalia
Age at Enlistment	33 years old
Description	5' 4" (1.63m) tall ; 130 lbs 58.967 kg ; fair complexion ; brown eyes ; dark brown hair
Occupation	Dairyman
Religion	Church of England
Address	Albany road, Kelmscott
Next of Kin	Mother , Mrs Betsy Cockram (nee Buckingham)
Military Information
Reg Number	2311
Date of Enlistment	24 Jun 1916
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	44th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement / 13th Brigade, 4th Division
Date of Embarkation	13 Oct 1916 ‒ 12 Dec 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A39 Port Macquarie Fremantle to Plymouth
Date of Return	1 Jun 1919 ‒ 8 Jul 1919
Ship Returned On	SS Somali
Fate	Wounded in Action 8 Sep 1918 east of Roisel, France Returned to Australia
Monument	Kelmscott War Memorial (West panel) Gosnells Road Board Honour Roll Gosnells Ward Honour Roll
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

In 1883 his father applied for the first public house licence for the Cannington area, before purchasing 1250 acres at Roleystone. He had a considerable property portfolio, and on his death Walter inherited the farm at Gosnells, together with, all his father's land in the 'Jubilee Estate'.

Walter married Clara Emily Elliot on 7 Mar 1906. Clara who was born in 1882, died during childbirth in Cannington on 3 Dec 1906. The baby did not survive. Electoral Roll entries - 1906 - 1910 farmer in Albany road, Cannington;

War Service

While Walter signed his enlistment documents on 2 Apr 1916, it was not until 8 May 1916 that he entered the Blackboy Hill camp as he was required to have dental treatment before he could be passed fit. On 20 Jun 1916, Walter was allocated to the 4th reinforcement draft for the 44th Battalion, which enjoyed a longer than usual training period in Australia before travelling to England.

After spending Christmas 1916 and Jan 1917 with the 11th Training Battalion near Larkhill in England, Walter travelled to France from Folkestone on 4 Feb 1917 aboard the HMT Invicta where he joined the 44th Battalion in the vicinity of Armentiès on 8 Feb 1917. The battalion had just come out of the line for a period of rest and to provide working parties.

A year later without any incident being recorded in his records, Walter returned to England on 20 Feb 1918 for some leave, rejoining the 44th Battalion on 8 Mar 1918 in their rest area at Nieppe near Armentiès. He was with the battalion during their efforts to stop the German advance and then their pursuit up the Somme River valley during 1918.

The shelling which affected Walter, including Blue Cross Gas Shells, occurred during the evening of 7th/8th Sep 1918 as his battalion was being replaced in the vanguard of the attacking force that had been clearing country between Péronne and the Hindenburg Outpost Line.

Walter received what was most likely a shell wound to his finger as well as suffering from being exposed to the gas shells. Seen first by the 9th Field Ambulance on 8 Sep 1918, he was passed back to the 41st Casualty Clearing Station two days later before being admitted to the 5th General Hospital in Rouen on 11 Sep 1918. By 12 Sep 1918 he was well enough to be released to the No 2 Convalescent Depot in Rouen to recover his strength. (By this time Australian troops were being withdrawn from the fighting for the last time.) On 14 Sep 1918 he was transferred to the No 11 Convalescent Depot, and on 5 Oct 1918 to a depot in Le Havre. On 15 Oct 1918 he began the journey to rejoin his unit, and reached them on 20 Oct 1918 at Heucourt where they had been resting since being withdrawn from the lines.

Walter was granted leave in the England from 5 - 19 Feb 1919 after which he rejoined the battalion briefly before returning to the UK on 29 Mar 1919 when he was sent to the No. 1 Command Depot at Sutton Veny camp until his draft departed for Australia. Walter was discharged by the 5th Military District on 16 Aug 1919

Post War

WE Cockram of the 44th Battalion arriving on board the S.S. Somali

On 29 June 1920, Walter married Sarah Ann Brankin, who was employed as a waitress and lived along the Albany Road in Cannington. After the marriage they settled in Mills Road, Gosnells and remained there. One of constant problems Walter and other dairyman had was straying livestock, which the Roads Board could lawfully seize and impound. Even as late as 1928 complaints were made about wandering dairy herds, Walter had been warned about his straying stock. He continued his dairy farm until his sudden death at his Mills Road residence on 22 July, 1947, aged 65.

Electoral Roll entries - 1916 - 1943 Mills road, Gosnells, dairyman.

Notes

For further information on this soldier, or for more information about the history and heritage of the City of Gosnells, please contact the Heritage Coordinator on 9391 6011

External Links

• RSL Memorial