HOWARD, Walter
| Service Number: | 3654 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 July 1917, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 56th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Newtown, New South Wales, Australia, 16 May 1873 |
| Home Town: | Petersham, Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fitter and Turner |
| Died: | Natural causes, Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia, 12 July 1948, aged 75 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rookwood General Cemetery, New South Wales, Australia Zone F Methodist New Section 01AW Grave 347 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Jul 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3654, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Oct 1917: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3654, 56th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Sep 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3654, 56th Infantry Battalion, Mont St Quentin / Peronne, GSW (right hand and abdomen) | |
| 9 Apr 1921: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 3654, 56th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Edwards
"Enlisted 16 July 1917 at the age of 44 after being refused the first time because he was too short. Disembarked 20/12/17. Was wounded on 2/9/18 and later discharged. The 56th was part of the battle of Mont St Quentin and Péronne and was attacking Péronne on 2/9/18 probably this is where the injury occurred.
Injuries were recorded as a gunshot wound to the right hand and abdomen.
Was discharged 9/4/18 after returning to Australia.
Is the father of Lyall Howard, 3rd Pioneer Battalion and grandfather of Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
In the book, The Great War, author Les Carlyon details the experiences of Lyall Howard on the front line, captured by the handwritten notes in Lyall's war diary. The entries were always brief: "Shoved in old barn", "Inoculated again", "First day in trenches".One laconic entry underscored the horrors the soldiers faced: "Will wounded and dies". Will was Lyall's best friend.
In an extraordinary situation of chance during the mass movement of troops near Cléry, the father and son's paths crossed. Against the odds, Lyall and Walter met on the eve of the Battle of Mont St. Quentin in what has been described as a one-in-a-million handshake in the battle zone.
An entry in Lyall Howard's diary, dated 30 August 1918, simply reads: "Met dad at Cléry.""
Originally submitted 25 April 2015 by David Howard
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