GIDDINS, Walter Henry
| Service Number: | 1638 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 January 1916, Mendooran, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bathurst, New South Wales, 1873 |
| Home Town: | Warren, Warren Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of illness (tuberculosis - POW of Germany), Belgium, 17 August 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Tournai Communal Cemetery Allied Extension Tournai Communal Cemetery Allied Extension, Tournai, Wallonie, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Warren War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1638, Mendooran, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1638, 45th Infantry Battalion , Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Apr 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1638, 45th Infantry Battalion , HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 11 Apr 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1638, 13th Infantry Battalion, Bullecourt (First), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1638 awm_unit: 13 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-08-17 | |
| 11 Apr 1917: | Imprisoned Bullecourt (First) |
Walter Henry Giddins 1638
Private Walter Henry Giddins 1638
Private Walter Giddins a 42 year old labourer of Collie NSW, when he joined the Tooraweenah Kookaburra March at Mendooran. He passed the medical examination and it described him as 6’ 1” tall, 163 lbs(74kgs), chest expansion 36-38”, fair complexion, blue eyes, brown hair, and no distinctive marks. His father, Henry Giddins lived at Warren, NSW and was his next of kin.
After training at Bathurst, Walter embarked at Sydney on 14 April 1916 on the HMAT Ceramic, bound for Egypt. The 45th Battalion trained until June, when they left for England arriving in Plymouth on 16 June, 1916.Walter joined the 13th Battalion in France on 12 March, 1917 and a few short weeks later was missing in action from 11 April, 1917.
The 13th Battalion was part of a disastrous attack on the Hindenburg Line that day. Walter was one of 367 men missing that day. Casualties were; 25 men killed, 118 men wounded and 367 men missing, a total of 510 casualties from the 13th Battalion.
In August 1917, the Germans notified the London authorities that Walter Giddins had died of pneumonia and nephritis, whilst being detained at Limburg, Belgium. He was buried at Tournai Communal Cemetery Belgium. A statement from a repatriated Prisoner of War stated that he had seen Walter Giddins suffering from starvation and heavy work.
Walter’s father received photos of the grave, the Memorial Plaque, Memorial Scroll, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Walter is commemorated on the Collie War Memorial and the Australian War Memorial Panel number 69.
Submitted 30 June 2025 by Margo Piggott
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