Walter Scott
From Our Contribution
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | c1889 |
| Place of Birth | Pontefract, Yorkshire, England |
| Age at Enlistment | 26 years, 5 months |
| Description |
5'10" (1.78 m) tall ; 150lbs 68.039 kg ; fresh complexion ; grey eyes ; brown hair |
| Occupation | Carpenter |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | 128 Onslow road, West Subiaco |
| Next of Kin | Wife , Mrs Isabel May Scott |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 3059 |
| Date of Enlistment | 3 March 1916 |
| Rank | Sapper |
| Unit/Formation | 14th Field Company - Engineers |
| Date of Embarkation | 9 Nov 1916 ‒ 10 Jan 1917 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A8 Argyllshire Fremantle to Devonport |
| Fate | Killed in Action 11 Oct 1917 |
| Monument |
Armadale War Memorial (Beenup panel) Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour |
| Medals |
British War Medal Victory Medal |
Contents
Pre War
Married with two daughters, Priscilla Isabel and Frances Edith
War Service
On enlistment Walter was placed for his early outfitting and training with the 60 Depot Platoon before being allocated on 1 May 1916 to the 5th reinforcement draft for the 51st Battalion. On 14 Sep 1916 this was changed to the 6th reinforcement draft for the 44th battalion, and then on 4 Nov 1916, just before he was sent to England, to the 7th reinforcement draft for the 5th Pioneer Battalion who gave him the unpaid rank of acting Sergeant for the voyage.
On arrival in England he reverted to Private, but was on 15 Jan 1917 made an EDP Corporal while at the Pioneer Training Battalion at Larkhill. As part of his training he was sent to the Bombing School at Lyndhurst between 12 and 24 Feb 1917, qualifying as an Instructor Bomb Throwing. He again reverted to Private on 19 Apr 1917.
On 19 Apr 1917 he was charged with "Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline in that he had absented himself from his company when ordered on the line of march. He was reduced to his permanent rank. On 21 May he was again in trouble, being charged with AWOL from 6:30am 21 May 1917 until 12:30pm 24 May 1917. Awarded 14 days confined to camp and lost 16 day's pay in all.
On 11 Jun 1917 he was transferred to the Engineer Training Depot at Brightlingsea, and following training there, he proceeded overseas to France from Southampton on 5 Sep 1917 and was able to join his new unit, the 14th Field Company - Engineers on 4 Oct 1917. Seven day's later Walter was killed in action. On 10 Oct 1917 the 14th Field Company were placing duckboards and had begun constructing splinter proof dugouts for the infantry on the slopes of Westhoek Ridge and these tasks continued into the next day. The unit's War Diary mentions "1 OR killed in action" at the bottom of the day's entry for the 11th January.
I saw him killed by a shell while we were on a fatigue at Blward, Ypres. He was buried where he fell by a party from the Company, a cross was erected bearing full particulars.[1]
He was killed outright by a shell about Oct 10th on the Ypres side of Bellevarde Ridge, past Chateau Wood and is buried on the spot. There was a cross on the grave which I have seen, but the place has since been and still is under heavy bombardment.[2]
Plot 1 Row H Grave 13
Notes
In July 1919 Walter was reburied at the Hooge Crater Cemetery, at Zillebeke, 4 kilometers due east of Ypres. From 12 Jan 1918 pensions were paid to Isabel 52/3d ($5.22) per fortnight, Priscilla £1 ($2) per fortnight, and Frances 15/- ($1.50) per fortnight.
In 1921 his wife, Isabel had planted a tree in Armadale Memorial Park in his honour, but appears to have lived in Subiaco until she moved to Drummoyne in NSW during January 1923.