PRESTON, Walter George
| Service Number: | 2774 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Royal Flying Corps |
| Born: | Toowong, Queensland, Australia, 13 January 1893 |
| Home Town: | Balmain, Leichhardt, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | 1970, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2774, 18th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 2774, 18th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 2774, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney | |
| 16 Mar 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2774, 18th Infantry Battalion, Discharged to the Royal Flying Corps with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant | |
| 17 Mar 1917: | Involvement Royal Flying Corps |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Lieut. (T. Capt.) Walter George Preston Royal Flying Corps D.F.C was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. His citation stated “This officer has taken part in 70 bombing raids, and has rendered most valuable service on reconnaissance duty by night. One night he carried out three most successful bombing raids on hostile rest billets, dropping his bombs and engaging the enemy troops with great effect. He sets an excellent example of skill and gallantry.”
Walter Preston served with the 18th and 3rd Battalions AIF, enlisting in Sydney and served as a machine gunner, and went through the battle at Pozieres. In late 1916 he transferred to the RFC and started pilot training. He stayed on in the RAF after the war becoming a Flight Lieutenant and later a Wing-Commander, while his brother Arthur, who had also transferred to the RFC and became a pilot, came home to Australia.
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