SPENDIFF, Walter Sidney Gauntlet
| Service Number: | 3316 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 March 1916, at Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Dover, Kent, England, April 1889 |
| Home Town: | Waikerie, Loxton Waikerie, South Australia |
| Schooling: | St. Bartholomew's School, Dover |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 20 April 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Berks Cemetery Extension (Row J, Grave No. 24), |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3316, 32nd Infantry Battalion, at Adelaide | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 3316, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Malakuta embarkation_ship_number: A57 public_note: '' | |
| 27 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 3316, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Malakuta, Adelaide |
Content from Dover War Memorial Site
Spendiff, W. S. G.
Walter Sidney Gauntlett Spendiff, 3316, was in the 43rd battalion of the Australian Infantry, serving as a Private.
Born in Dover, the brother of William, above, he was an old boy of St Bartholomew's School. He had brown eyes and dark brown hair. Aged 24 when he arrived in Australia, and working as a labourer, he was 5 feet 6 inches tall when he enlisted in Adelaide on 29th March 1916, at the age of 26 years and 11 months. He stated he was a Methodist. He left for the Western Front aboard the Malakuta on 7th June 1916. His battalion arrived at Devonport on 22nd August.
On 25th November he was transferred overseas, unfortunately then to spend a short while in hospital with scabies. He had also a tendency to flat feet, though this caused no problems. He rejoined his battalion on 20th December, was dispatched to 171st company on 16th February 1917, and then returned to his own battalion on 26th March. He was killed in action on Friday afternoon, 20th April, 1917. He was 29 (28).
He is buried at the Berks Cemetery Extension, Belgium. The words at the bottom of his gravestone read: "Peace Perfect Peace". He is also commemorated on the South Australian War Memorial, North Terrace, Adelaide.
A third brother was also living in Australia - Mr R J (Robert John?) ("Bob") Spendiff, of Berri, River Murray, where he was a fruit-grower and building contractor, based at Winkie, outside Berri, in south Australia. He later chaired the local district council. He was executor of Walter's will.
with thanks to Sarah
with thanks for extra details to Peter Sheppard
Submitted 11 September 2014 by Chris Kroehn
Biography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Walter Sidney Gauntlet Spendiff was born in April of 1889 in Dover, Kent, England. He was the son of Mrs Jane Emma Spendiff and was her only child (father unknown). He resided at 87 South Road, Dover, England throughout his childhood while attending St. Bartholomew's School . At the age of 24 he immigrated to Australia where he worked as a labourer. Prior to enlisting in the army at the age of 27, his religion was Methodist and his marital status was single.
Walter was 26 when he enlisted, and he had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was 5ft 6 1/4 inches and was 135 lbs. Walter enlisted on the 29th of March 1916 and embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board the HMAT A57 Malakuta on the 27th of June 1916. He arrived at Devenport on the 24th of August 1916, and was transferred to his battalion on the 23rd of September 1916. He proceeded overseas to France on the 25th of November 1916. and was admitted into hospital on the 15th of December 1916, suffering from scabies, and was in the hospital for 6 days until he got discharged and rejoined the battalion.
On the 20th of April 1917, Walter was killed in action in Belgium. He was just 28 years old. He is buried in Berks Cemetery (Row J, Grave No. 24), Ploegsteert, Belgium, and his name is in the Australian War Memorial.
Walter Sidney Gauntlet Spendiff was awarded:
British War Medal
Victory Medal
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