Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

There is not a great deal known about Walter Bergin. He was born in Brisbane, Queensland, and went to New Farm State School. His mother was Lilian (Lilly) Bergin and his father was Thomas William Bergin. However, Walter’s father left the family when Walter was still quite young (around 1903, which meant Walter was about 9 years old) and was never seen or heard of again. Sometime during his youth Walter and his family moved to Henley Beach, South Australia.

Walter was 5’ 4 1/2” tall, had a fair complexion, blue eyes, and several anchor tattoos on his forearms. He joined the Voluntary Service Cadets in 1908 and at the time of enlistment was in the 76th Infantry Regiment of the Citizen Military Forces (now known as the Australian Army Reserve). Walter was 20 years and 5 months old when he enlisted on 19 August, 1914. Since he was under the legal age of 21 his mother had to sign his enlistment papers.

Walter joined the 10th Battalion, C Company and embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on HMAT A12 Saldanha on 20 October 1914 while the rest of C Company boarded HMAT A11 Ascanius. The reason for this is not clear from the records. It is assumed he joined the rest of the convoy at the training camp at Mena Camp in Egypt before heading to Lemnos in the Aegean Sea in March 1915. From there the 10th Battalion boarded the battleship HMAS Prince of Wales for Gallipoli.

During his active service he was admitted to the casualty clearing station on the 1st June 1915 with a sprained ankle and evacuated from the frontline on the RMS Franconia. He returned to active duty on the 31st July, 1915 and was killed in action only a week later on the 6th August, 1915. He was buried at Brown’s Dip Cemetery, Victoria Gully, about half a mile south east of Anzac Cove. After the war his body was exhumed and moved to the Lone Pine Cemetery as the original site was unstable and prone to erosion and landslides. He was issued a 1914-15 Star medal, a British War medal and a Victory medal posthumously.

"THE LATE DRIVER BERGIN.

Driver W. Bergin, who was killed in action at Gallipoli on August 6, was the second son of the late Mr. Thomas Bergin, of Brisbane, and Mrs. Bergin, of Glenelg. He was born at Brisbane, and was educated at the public school there. When he was 15 years of age he came to Adelaide. He was one of the first to enlist in the famous 10th. He was of a bright and cheerful disposition, and was 21 years of age." - from the Adelaide Chronicle 25 Sep 1915 (trove.nla.gov.au)