MCGINLEY, Walter
| Service Number: | 3191 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 15th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 9 November 1893 |
| Home Town: | Macquarie Plains, Derwent Valley, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Hobart State School, Tasmania, Australia |
| Occupation: | Carpenter |
| Died: | Killed in action, Bullecourt, France, 11 April 1917, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bushy Park Gretna State School Roll of Honour, Port Cygnet Soldiers Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3191, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3191, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3191, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Lincoln, Melbourne |
Help us honour Walter McGinley's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Walter’s younger brother 6845 Pte. William Henry McGinley 12th Battalion AIF was killed in action in Belgium on 8 October 1917, aged 20.
They were the sons of James and Amy McGinley, of Macquarie Plains, Tasmania. Their mother Amy had passed away during 1905, when they were still very young and it seems from their files that the father became an alcoholic and basically abandoned the children. It seems they may have been raised by their grandmother on their mother’s side.
Walter died when the 15th Battalion suffered heavy losses at Bullecourt in April 1917 when the 4th Brigade attacked strong German positions without the promised tank support. He was reported missing at first until his death was confirmed at about the same time as his brother was killed 6 months later.
Walter’s sisters, Dolly and Thema had to fight very hard to claim their brothers’ medals from the authorities. Eventually Mr. Lean decided that the father was not the fit and proper person to receive the medals, and decided in the sisters’ favour.
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