WATT, Walter Oswald
| Service Numbers: | Not yet discovered |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps |
| Born: | Bournemouth, Hampshire, England, 11 February 1878 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Trinity College, Cambridge, England |
| Occupation: | Grazier and Merchant |
| Died: | Drowned, Bilgola Beach, Newport, New South Wales, 21 May 1921, aged 43 years |
| Cemetery: |
Saint Jude's Cemetery, Randwick, New South Wales |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| Date unknown: | Involvement Captain, No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: '' embarkation_ship: '' embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| Date unknown: | Embarked Captain, No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
The first Australian to qualify for a Royal Aero Club flying certificate, in 1911, Watt joined the French Foreign Legion as a pilot on the outbreak of World War I. He transferred to the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) in 1916, quickly progressing from flight commander with No. 1 Squadron in Egypt to commanding officer of No. 2 Squadron on the Western Front. By February 1918, he had been promoted to lieutenant colonel and taken command of the AFC's 1st Training Wing in England.
A recipient of France's Legion of Honour and Croix de Guerre, and twice mentioned in despatches during the war, Watt was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1919.
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