Walter William WINTER MC

Badge Number: SA11526, Sub Branch: Blackwood
SA11526

WINTER, Walter William

Service Numbers: 1089, 1089 - Service number relinquished on commissioning
Enlisted: 12 September 1914, Morphettville Racecourse, Morphettville, South Australia
Last Rank: Lieutenant
Last Unit: 50th Infantry Battalion
Born: Warrina, South Australia, 3 April 1894
Home Town: Adelaide, South Australia
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Locomotive Fireman
Died: Natural Causes, Myrtle Bank, Adelaide, South Australia, 6 September 1980, aged 86 years
Cemetery: Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia
Memorials: Adelaide South Australian Railways WW1 & WW2 Honour Boards, Oodnadatta Old Scholars Honour Roll, Peterborough 'LOCO' S.A.R. Roll of Honor, Quorn Roll of Honor
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World War 1 Service

12 Sep 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Morphettville Racecourse, Morphettville, South Australia
20 Oct 1914: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1089, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1,

--- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: ''

20 Oct 1914: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1089, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide
25 Apr 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1089, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli
11 Mar 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1089, 50th Infantry Battalion
23 Jul 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 1089, 50th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières
15 Nov 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Staff Sergeant (CQMS), 1089, 50th Infantry Battalion, 'The Winter Offensive' - Flers/Gueudecourt winter of 1916/17
3 Mar 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Regimental Sergeant Major, 1089, 50th Infantry Battalion, German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line and Outpost Villages
31 Jul 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 1089 - Service number relinquished on commissioning, 50th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres
10 Sep 1918: Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 1089 - Service number relinquished on commissioning, 50th Infantry Battalion, "The Last Hundred Days",

Awarded the Military Cross for actions on 11 September 1918

Date unknown: Involvement 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières

Awarded the Military Cross - "Hard Service"

"On the 11th September 1918, near VENDELLES NW of St Quentin, this officer very gallantly and skillfully led a daylight fighting patrol against the outpost position. Although opposed by heavy by machine gun and rifle fire, he determinedly forced his way forward setting an excellent example to his men throughout the operation. After hard fighting, he got a footing in the enemy's trench and drove the Germans out capturing ten of them. The success of this operation allowed the troops on both flans to advance, and subsequently resulted in a gain of over 1700 yards. On 13th September, SW of Le VERGIER, during a hostile counter-attack, when the position was obscure, Lieutenant Winter moved along the front for a distance of 1500 yards under heavy rifle and machine gun fire with great coolness and reported on the situation."

Recommended by LTCOL A.G. Salisbury, CO of the 50th Battalion 15th September 1918.

AWARDED



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Biography contributed by Faithe Jones

Military Cross

'On 11th September 1918, near Vendelles, north west of St. Quentin, he very gallantly and skilfully led a daylight fighting patrol against the outpost positon. Although strongly opposed by heavy machine gun and rifle fire, he determinedly forced his way forward and got a footing in the enemy's trench, capturing ten of the enemy. The success of his operation allowed the troops on both flanks to advance, and subsequently resulted in a gain of over 1,700 yards. Later, during an enemy counter attack, he showed great coolness while ascertaining the situation.'
Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 129
Date: 20 November 1919

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Biography contributed

Walter Winter's story is one of endurance, service, success and survival.  He enlisted shortly after the outbreak of war and was assigned to the 10th Battalion.

He served at ANZAC where he was wounded on the 3rd May 1915.  He rejoined the unit in June and served throughout the remainder of the campaign.

After the evacuation to Egypt and the "Doubling of the AIF", the 10th Battalion and the other original 16 Battalions were split with a core of experienced officers, NCOs and soldiers transferred to form the 50th Battalion.  Among their number was Walter Winter.

Walter served in the 50th Battalion for the remainder of the war.  He was promoted steadily and by August 1916 when the Battalion was engaged in fighting at Mouquet Farm in the second phase of the Pozieres campaign, he was a Sergeant.  He was wounded a second time at Mouquet Farm, but after recovering from his injuries he returned to the Battalion and by the end of 1916 he was a Company Quarter Master Sergeant in charge of logistic support for the men of his company.  By April 1917 during which time the Battalion fought in the outpost village campaign, he was a Company Sergeant Major, the senior non-Commissioned Officer in the company.

He was commissioned in August 1917 as the Battalion was engaged in the Third Ypres campaign.  He spent most of the first half of 1918 as an instructor at the 7th Training Battalion, before rejoining the 50th Battalion during the “Last Hundred Days” campaign, where he distinguished himself on several occasions and was awarded the Military Cross.

Because he had served almost continuously since the very start and was still actively engaged at war's end, he was a priority for repatriation to Australia and he began the journey home in mid October 1918.

Walter Winter had seen what was known among the men of the time as “hard service” from the very first to the last.

Steve Larkins October 2014

 

 

 

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