Pte. William Henry (Harry) Walker - WW1 Soldier: 100 Years of WW1 Commemoration continues...

Pte. William Henry (known as "Harry") Walker #36897, Infantry:


                                                        WILLIAM HENRY WALKER

                                                                                               (photo from AWMM Cenotaph Site online)



Harry was the eldest son of Charlotte Agnes (nee Walker) and Thomas James Walker, of Otautau. His parents were cousins, the children of two brothers who both settled in Otautau after immigrating to NZ.

Born on 24 February 1894, he enlisted in WW1 on 22 September 1916, at the age of 22. Harry listed his occupation as a civilian Tailor, yet he had been most recently working at the Waikoura mill of A.D. McPherson's, an active occupation. He had however been previously in the Southland Regiment of the Territorials. Harry was a Rifleman in the NZ Rifle Brigade, part of the 21st Reinforcements known as J Company. He sailed for Plymouth, Devon on the ship Waitemata on 19th Jan, 1917.

In all, Harry served 2 years and 333 days in the War effort, being overseas for 2 years and 184 days. After arriving to fight on the Western Front in France on 28 May 1917, he was wounded in action on the field, on 10th August 1917 and admitted to hospital, his left foot shattered. By 7 September 1917 he had been transferred back to the NZ General Hospital at Walton in England where his left foot was amputated and on 5 June 1918, he was finally declared unfit by the Medical Board and placed on the Nominal NZ Roll. Leaving England on 9 June 1919, Harry disembarked in NZ on 17 July 1919, his life forever changed. On 18 August 1919, he was finally discharged, "on account of wounds received in action." While Harry remained alive, his injuries and subsequent amputation would have affected his ability to work in the kinds of trades young men would have been involved in usually. And he was also no longer able to work for McPherson's Sawmilling as he had been doing when he left for WW1.

On returning home, Harry worked as a Bootmaker in Otautau along with other business activities, one being made the local representative for Provident Life Insurance of Dunedin, in September of 1921. Harry went on to marry Ivy Isabella Humphries of Heddon Bush, at the Methodist Church in Otautau on 30 November 1921, the couple started off their married life in Otautau. By 1922, Harry had moved his Bootmaking premises to the old Smith & Butler building and in June 1926 the young couple moved to Dunedin, with a huge farewell being held for them by the Otautau Methodist Church where they were active members. Harry & Ivy visited their families in Otautau and district regularly, and were often reported as staying at his father Thomas James Walkers. The couple had 3 children, Arnold, Enid and June. June was the only one who never married, and she is shares a grave with her father at the Green Island Cemetery in Dunedin, dying a spinster at the age of 42 years, on 8th Nov 1970. Harry died at age 61 on 10 Jan 1956, his last address was recorded as being 13 Torquay St, Abbotsford and his occupation remained that of Bootmaker. His beloved Ivy outlasted him by many years, choosing to be cremated after passing away as a resident of the St. Andrews Home at Melville St, Dunedin, at the ripe old age of 89 years. We are fortunate to have had some details of Harry and Ivy's family passed on to us by their descendants, but there are sadly no modern photos of the family.


(Photo taken from Dunedin Cemetery Database site)













Harry's brother Sydney James (Syd) also served in WW1, his story follows this one.


                                                                                                                        (from Otautau Standard & Wallace County Chronicle 
                                                                                                                              on 28-08-1917 thanks to National Library of NZ -                                                                                                                           at https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ )


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SOURCES: Any direct references are marked and cited.- Article researched and compiled by Suzie Best - Researcher/Historian, ph: 027-211-4675 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The content within this blog is Copyright: Photos - as stipulated above; Research/text - to the author, unless stipulated otherwise (contact on: riverstream@xtra.co.nz)

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