Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Early Life

Walter Gliddon Reid was born on the 9th of March 1884 at Semaphore, in the district of Port Adelaide. He was the son of Thomas Burns Reid and Clara Louisa Gliddon. He was baptised at St. Bede's, Semaphore, South Australia, on the 18th of May 1884. Walter was the eldest of four brothers, his siblings were George Robbins (b 1886), Tom Percival (later referred to as Thomas, b 1888) and Clarence Cecil (1890).

Family Business

Walter’s father, Thomas Burns Reid, had worked in the Customs Department, then for D & J Fowler and for George Wills & Co at Port Pirie. Thomas then bought the hardware business of his brother Malcolm Reid at Broken Hill and added a furniture department. Thomas moved to Adelaide in about 1904 and bought the furniture business of Max Swift at 67 Hindley Street and the other Showrooms at 66 Currie St and in Renmark. The business continued to trade as Max Swift & Co., with “T.B. Reid, Proprietor”. In 1922, his sons, Walter, George and Clarence became partners in the business, trading as Tom Reid & Sons. Walter’s brothers, George and Clarence assisted their father by managing the stores. The business moved the business to 143 Rundle Street in the 1920s. In 1928 the business moved again to the corner of Pulteney and Rundle Streets (Fitch’s Corner).

Thomas’s brother, Malcolm, operated the popular furniture and accessories emporium, Malcolm Reid & Co. Ltd., at 187- 195 Rundle Street, with store also in Bourke St., Melbourne and had earlier become a public company listed on the stock exchange. It seemed that the brothers had operated in cooperative rivalry, commonly advertising on the same page of the local newspapers.

Unfortunately, Tom Reid and Sons’ relocation in 1928 was at a bad time and the effects of the Great Depression saw the business become insolvent and Thomas, Walter, George and Clarence forced into bankruptcy.

Schooling

As a child living in Broken Hill, Walter was a member (No. 4002) of the Adelaide Observer’s - Uncle Harry’s Children’s Column. His early education was in Broken Hill.

St Peter’s College

At 14 years of age, Walter came to Adelaide and from 1899 to 1901, attended St Peter’s College, Adelaide. His mother also returned to Adelaide for Walter’s schooling, while his father remained in Broken Hill to run his business.

Walter passed his Preliminary Examinations in 1899, followed by Junior Examinations in 1900 and three Senior Examinations in 1901 and a further subject in March 1902. In December 1902, Walter passed the Senior Examination in English Literature.

Walter represented the school against Prince Alfred College in the annual intercollegiate football match.

Adelaide University

Walter commenced studying law at Adelaide University in 1902 and graduated LLB in 1909.

University Sport

Football
Walter played football at Adelaide University from 1904. He represented the Law Faculty against an Arts/Science team in 1904, Combined Colleges in August 1904, Wesley College in 1905, Melbourne Scotch in July 1906 and Geelong College in 1907.

Walter was a member of the 1905 and 1906 Intervarsity teams who played against Melbourne University. Walter was the second emergency for the 1907 Intervarsity match according to newspaper reports however his name does not appear on the University’s list of 1907 IV players.

The Adelaide University Football Club was formed in 1906 and initially played in the Adelaide and Suburban Football Association. Walter was the first Adelaide University delegate to the Adelaide and Suburban Football Association and a member of the Adelaide University team in 1906 and 1907. He was the first Honorary Secretary of the A.U.F.C.

Athletics

Walter competed in South Australian Amateur Athletics competitions from 1906 and he represented Adelaide University at the Intervarsity Sports in 1908.

Pre-War Career

Walter was living with his parents at Unley Park in November 1909 when he applied for admission to the Bar and was admitted in December 1909. He commenced practice under his own name at 42 & 43 Pirie Chambers, Pirie St, Adelaide in April 1910.

After working in his own practice for almost a year, Walter left onboard the RMS Macedonia for London in March 1911. He was travelling with his brother Thomas P. Reid. Walter returned from his overseas travels on the 23rd of December 1911 onboard the P&O mail steamer Malwa.

Walter returned to practising Law, and by April 1914, he was located at 8 Australasia Chambers, King William St, Adelaide. Walter was a member of the Unley City Parliament a group which originated from Literary Societies and met to debate various topics in a model parliament format.

World War I

Walter enlisted for WWI (SN 4255) on the 9th of August 1915 as a Private in the 10th Battalion Infantry. He was 31-years old and his mother Clara of Victoria Avenue, Unley Park was named as his next-of-kin. Walter was 5’ 7¼“, 149 lbs, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and dark hair. He had been a member of the Law Rifle Club for three months prior to his enlistment.

Walter embarked on 11th of January 1916 onboard the HMAT Borda and passed through Zeitoun, Tel-el-Kibir, Alexandria (all in Egypt) and Marseilles before he joined the 50th Battalion in France on the 29th of February 1916.

On the 16th of August 1916 Walter was wounded in action while serving in France and was invalided to England with trench fever. On the 22nd of March 1917, he was temporarily detached to the Head Quarters, No 3 Com Depot, 50th Battalion.

He re-joined the 50th Battalion in France on the 26th of July 1917, and shortly after was transferred to the 4th Australian Divisional Head Quarters on the 30th of September 1917. On the 25th of June 1918 Walter returned to the 2nd Commonwealth Depot, Weymouth, England and on 24th of August 1918, Walter commenced the return journey to Australia onboard the HMAT A7 Medic and arrived in Australia on the 11th of October 1918. He was discharged as medically unfit.

Post War Career and Family Life

In January 1919, Walter resumed his law practice at Santo Building, 24 Waymouth Street, Adelaide.

In August 1919, Walter was best man at the marriage of his brother Clarence. By 1920, Walter was an active member of the Glenelg Sub Branch of the RSL and was on their committee from 1922-1924. In 1921, he was a member of the committee which organised the annual RSL dinner.

Walter relocated his law office to Hindley Street, Adelaide in 1921 and around the same time, became a partner in his father’s Hindley Street furniture business, along with two of his brothers.

Now aged 39, Walter Gliddon Reid was living at Glenelg when he married Barbara Helen Reid (aged 36), the daughter of Henry Reid, of Liverpool, England, at St Peters Church, Glenelg on the 12th of April 1923.

In September 1925, Walter moved his legal practice again, this time from Hindley Street to 143 Rundle Street, Adelaide (also the address of the family’s furniture business.

In 1928, Walter assisted in setting up the Glenelg RSL Model Parliament, along the lines of the group he had been in at Unley before the War.

On the move again in August 1929, Walter moved his practice to the law chambers at 83 Epworth Building, Pirie Street, Adelaide and in April 1930, he moved to 22 Rechabite Chambers, Victoria Square, Adelaide, closer to the Law Courts.

In September 1931, Walter’s father Thomas passed away.

By 1939, Walter was living at 8 William Avenue Dulwich. Tragically on the 18th of June 1946, his wife, Barbara Helen Reid, passed away at a private hospital.

Shortly after, on the 9th on December 1946, Walter married Esther Freya Hilda Linnier Ohlson, the younger daughter of the late Capt. Adolph Frederick Ohlson and Augusta Christina Maria Ohlson (nee Jacobsonn) of Queensland at Flinders Street Baptist Church.

Walter was still practicing at 23 Rechabite Chambers, Victoria Square in January 1953.

At some stage between 1953 and 1959, Walter and Esther moved to Queensland where Esther’s family had previously resided.

Death

Walter Gliddon Reid passed away in Queensland in 1959 (aged 75) and Ester Reid passed away in 1967. There is no information to indicate that Walter and Barbara had any children.

Authors: EE (Beth) Filmer & Rob O'Shannassy

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project (in the period 2015-2019) please see the document attached.