Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Third youngest son of eleven children of Jeremiah and Maragaret YELDS.

Walter was the uncle of Stanley Darwin YELDS who also served in WWI.

Walter embarked at Capetown for Melbourne, where he boarded the "Port Sydney" on the 19th October 1916 to travel overseas.  He joined B Co. 1st Battalion on 12th December 1916.  He had spent a few days in hospital sick, in January 19170 On 24th August 1917, Walter was admitted to hospital with gunshot wounds which caused perforation to the ear and concussion.

Walter served the rest of the war without major incident or injury, and after returning to New Zealand he was discharged on 30th June 1919.

He had married Alice May Theodosia ATWOOD on 20th October 1913.

Walter passed away in November 1932 aged 51 years, with his wife and one daughter surviving him.

Courtesy of The Bombala Battlers

OUR BOYS AT THE FRONT.
The following letter from Private Walter Yelds has been received by his mother, Mrs. Yelds, of Greendale, 
Bombala : —
Dear Mother. — Just a few lines to let you know I am  still keeping in good health. I am sitting now in my dug-out, after having mv tea, listening to the big guns roaring all round and the German shells bursting over head.
The sky is lit up so that you can see for miles at times. I am wondering what the end of it will be. All the French houses about here are half blown down; it will  cost a few millions to re-build them again. I had a  very narrow escape yesterday. There were eight of us  taking up an old bridge, and the Germans must have  seen us, for they put a shell within four yards of us,  and a piece of it cut a cord in two that was tied around my waist, so I thought it was time to leave. I have not  been back yet. I am in the luckiest battalion over here ; they have not had one casualty for over five  months, and I hope we dont get one for another five months. I am on my honour not to write anything that would give any information to the enemy if it should come to pass that they captured the boat that carried  these mails, so you will understand why I don't tell  you more about the war. This is a very cold country  just now. The ground is covered with snow, and the  ice is from six inches to three feet thick. So you can  imagine how warm we are. We have to wear gloves all day to keep our hands warm. 

From Dunedin, N-Z., comes the report of the death of  Mr. Walter Yelds, brother of Mr. G. Yelds, Bombala ; Mrs. Deal, Bibbenluke ; Mrs. Sheppard and Mrs. Dear,  Sydney. He was born at Cathcart 51 years ago, and he enlisted in the Great War with the 1st N.Z.  expeditionary forces, as a rifleman. He was wounded  five times, and it is probable that death was due in  some measure to his war wounds, the direct cause  being double pneumonia. He leaves a widow and daughter, the widow being in hospital recovering from  a serious operation at the time of his death.