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Walter known as Wally, was born in England in Essex on the 5th June 1915 and named in honour of his own father, Walter. The family then moved to Adelaide where Wally attended Unley Public school. He then became an iron worker, before transferring to the Hume Steel Company at Kewick in 1936. His close friend Charlie Fraser was also at Keswick at the local Richard’s Motor Works on Anzac Highway.
Wally was a talented soccer player, gaining his early skills as a youth growing up in England then transferring them to the local South Australian Soccer League Competition where the team’s inclusion of the word ‘Thistle’ reflected the Scottish heritage of many of its players. The team was promoted to play in Division One in 1933, experiencing continued success for many years with the quality of their senior players. Charles Fraser, with whom Wally was later to serve, captained the team. Both talented men were consistently in the best player list and as well as achieving Premierships.
By ’35 the News was lauding Port Thistle as being ‘recognised as one of the finest teams seen in South Australia for some years, and league premiers in the last two years.’ The talented and successful team played in a much-vaunted game against a representative team chosen from all other league teams called ‘The Rest’. Port Thistle was praised for its triumph with system and fitness as well as the slick passing between forwards, including Walter and Charles.
The Club itself was very supportive, when Wally broke his collarbone during a practice in July ’39. A social was immediately organised to raise finances for Wally, with the Advertiser explaining that ‘Everett is not entitled to accident fund pay. not having been injured In a match.’ Wally was also a competent cricketer with the Adelaide Royals Club.
With the outbreak of WWII, Walter’s older brother, George Edward was the first of the Everett brothers to enlist as SX362 in October ‘39. He rose to the rank of Sergeant and was fortunate to survive the war. Younger brother, 20-year-old Harry James was next to enlist as SX3679 on the 25th May ’40. The following month, having just turned 25, Wally was the third in his family who enlisted to serve on the 29th June 1940. Charles Fraser, about to turn 29 enlisted the same day. They were allocated successive numbers, Charles SX7260 and Walter SX7261. At a similar time, other opposition soccer players, included Manchester-born James Hinson SX7429 as well as Hertfordshire born Charles Harding, SX7796 also enlisted with all being allocated to the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. These talented players were later to catch up in quite different circumstances and play a match together in the same team. Their initial days were spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds before the new enlistees headed to Woodside for their preliminary training.
Wally married Lucy Margaret on the 19th October ’40 whilst he was on pre-embarkation leave. He chose to add an extra five days of leave to spend with his wife, at a financial and disciplinary cost. However, all too soon he returned to the 2/48th with his contingent then embarking on the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940, arriving on the 19th December 1940. There the recruits completing a few months training in Cyrenaica with Wally being promoted to Lance Corporal in January, which at his own request, he relinquished in March.
While there the Infantry organised a soccer game against British teams with Joseph Moffitt of the 2/10th Captaining the team. South Australians from the 2/48th Battalion who played included Charles Fraser and Wally Everett both of whom played for Port Thistle in the local competition, James Hinson (killed in Action on 31st October ’42) who played locally for Birkala Rovers and Charles Harding, who had played for Sturt. The Advertiser reported in March ’41 that over fifteen games played, the South Australian team won 12 and lost three.
The battalion was soon on their way to serve in Tobruk, Syria and Egypt. By the start of April 1941, the 2/48th were in Tobruk where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to new enlistees. They were to become the famed Rats of Tobruk.
Conditions were ever-changing and the fighting continuous. October ’42 was to be one of the most devastating times for the Battalion and for Wally. Montgomery had ordered the 9th Battalion to attack northward resulting in horrific fighting that erupted over the last days of October 1942 at El Alamein. Staff Sgt Charles Fraser was killed in action in an horrific explosion on the 25th October, 1942. He was 30 years old.
John Glenn in ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’ describes the carnage caused by the chance hit by an enemy shell on a truck loaded with mines.
‘An ear shattering explosion dwarfed the sound of the guns into insignificance. Seven other trucks, all ladened with mines, had been set off. The whole area became a ghastly raging inferno. As trucks burned and exploded a great wall of fire shot into the sky. The gun flashes seemed dimmed; night was turned into day. The concussion was terrific. Steve Fitzgerald who was bringing up the mortar truck, which was laden with bombs, was seventy or so yards behind the trucks when the first one went off. His vehicle rocked in the blast, and, blinded by the flash, he was thrown clear out of it and onto the ground. Russ Lucas and Doug Richardson, who were manning a wireless set in a nearby trench, were temporarily stunned, but by gallant effort they got one man out of the trucks. He died in their arms. Parts of their wireless set were never found; the batteries were picked up two hundred yards away. Two thousand mines went up in this explosion; all the war equipment of both B and D Companies was destroyed. Of the ten men who were in the vehicles, not one was saved. They were: Corporal R. Bryant, W.D. Cockshell, W.C. Quinn, J.J. Buckley, H.S. Searle, W.A. Craig, C. Fraser, C.H. Schulz, C.E. Dolling and F. Parkyn.’
Just days later, a still devastated Wally was wounded in action with a gunshot wound to his left hand and bruising to his left leg causing him to be evacuated to the field ambulance.
John Glenn described ‘At zero hour, 1a.m. 31st October, the artillery opened up with a receding barrage – one that creeps back on itself. The attack was towards the guns themselves, the enemy being between the troops and the guns.’ He added that ‘The attack continued, however, without pause…it was only after hard fighting, with heavy casualties on both sides, that they were able to consolidate on their objective. The troops had never been more tired.. The 2/48th had stirred up a real hornets’ nest; from first light until nine o’clock the enemy turned all their fury on the Trig area, with particularly heavy fire on 29 itself, hiding the position in a cloud of dust and smoke.’ The Battalion sustained heavy casualties but in the ensuing days brought in their comrades who had been killed in action.
The news of the many deaths and injuries was carried in the newspapers back home. The News of November ’42 reported that ‘Mrs. W. A. Everett, of Churchill street, City, .has been advised that her husband, Private Walter Alfred Everett, was wounded in Egypt on October 31. He enlisted in June, .1940, and served .in Syria and Tobruk. Before joining he was employed by Hume Pipe (Aust.) Co., Ltd., and was a member of the- Port Thistle soccer team. He has two brothers, George and Harry. in the A,I.F.
Wally and fellow soccer player, Steve Lister SX7276 continued to remember Charles through the ‘Heroes of the Empire’ for many years.
Advertiser Monday 23 November 1942, FRASER. —A tribute of honor to a great pal. Sgt. Charlie Fraser, killed in action. Egypt, Oct. 25, aged 31 years. There are memories that will never fade —Always remembered by Wally Everett and Steve Lister. both A.I.F., abroad.
Advertiser Monday 25 October 1943, FRASER A tribute to my best pal Killed in action. Oct. 25. 1942. Thoughts drift back to bygone days; time drifts on but memory stays. —Pte. Wally Everett (A.I.F. - returned).
Advertiser Wednesday 25 October 1944 FRASER. —In fondest memory of my best pal, Charley, killed at El Alamein. October 25, 1942. Loving memories linger ever of happy times we spent together. —Inserted by Wally Everett (AIF, ret.).
Advertiser Thursday 25 October 1945 FRASER. —In memory of my pal Charlie, killed El Alamein. October 25, 1942. Sleep on dear pal, good and true, no pal on earth was as good as you.—Always remembered by pal Wally Everett (AIF, returned).
Advertiser Saturday 25 October 1947 FRASER.—In fond memory of my pal Charlie. Killed El Alamein. October 25. 1942. Not today, but every day. in silence. I remember. —Wally.

Once back with his unit, Wally was again promoted in November ’42 to A/Corporal but as previously, reverted to Private just three months later. He had survived the Middle East conflict and was able to return to Australia via Melbourne then home to spend time with Lucy. Training in Queensland followed in preparation for the challenging tropical conditions of New Guinea and facing a totally different enemy and terrain. He arrived in Milne Bay in August ’43. The Japanese tactics had decimated leaders in the 2/48th Battalion to the extent that on the 21st November ’43, ‘Diver’ Derrick was placed in command of 11 Platoon B Coy, they having lost all but one of their leaders. In a recently published book by Mark Johnson ‘Derrick VC In His Own Words’ he quotes from Derrick’s diary of that day. ‘The pl worked marvellously, they impressed as a very capable crew, especially acting sec com Wally Everett & fwd scout Bob McKenzie.’
In an early book Derrick VC, written by Murray Farquhar, mention was similarly made of the close-knit nature of Companies, calling them ‘clannish’. However, he reports that Corporal Wally Everett’s memory of Derrick being placed in command “Then we got Diver. Gee! We were glad to have someone like him take over the platoon. We had been scratching for a couple of days. There certainly was no resentment. We felt honoured to get him. All the boys took to him like a duck to water.” The transition had been smooth.
Farquhar then described the change Derrick had in turning the fortunes of the jungle attack. ‘The air was electric. Everything had changed. Now they had a toehold, no more. Diver let his eyes drift back over his men. All were alert and eager. ‘Pop’ Connolly gave him a thumbs up sign, Everett a grin. Eleven Platoon would not let him down. Things were coming our way.’
The battle for Sattelberg, under Derrick’s leadership was recorded in detail in Derrick’s diary. For the 24th November ’43 he wrote in part “I moved with 4 Sec who was magnificently commanded by Pte Wally Everett up the hill.” He later adds, “The remainder of the night was one of hard work and alertness made more difficult by a freezing night. The whole platoon worked like veterans & never hesitated to carry out any order.”
Derrick made mention especially of eight men, including Wally by name, who also made crucial contributions, and the great work of the sections. but none of these men received medals for their efforts on the day, which became known as a one-man effort, ‘Derrick’s Show’. Wally Everett, however, was mentioned in despatches. Wally selflessly but also fairly, later emphasized how Derrick, given cover by automatic fire, had personally thrown grenades into enemy posts before requesting permission for the extra 20 minutes of fighting time.
Later, a recommendation for Derrick to be awarded a Victoria Cross was begun with sworn evidence from three eyewitnesses, Corporals Everett, Connolly and Washbrook. According to Farquhar, Wally’s began, “Not only I, but the whole platoon, feels that it was due solely to the personal efforts of Sgt. Derrick, his courage, leadership and fine example, that made the capture of the objective possible.” Wally then detailed a factual account of each and everyone of Derrick’s achievements as part of the Huon Peninsula Campaign.
Back home the News of November ’43 gleefully reported the successful battle. ‘Sergeant Thomas Derrick, of North Adelaide, who paved the way for the capture of Satelberg last week, has already had one of the localities of the summit named after him. Derrick, a stocky, dark, cheerful soldier who won the D.C.M. in the Egyptian Desert, led a platoon which was halted on a slope by Jap machine-gun fire. He was ordered to withdraw, but five minutes later he and his men had cleaned out two of the Japanese weapon pits. Derrick pleaded for another 20 minutes, and in that time the platoon wiped out another six Japanese positions, Derrick himself killing one Jap machine-gunner, who bobbed up a few yards in front of him. Derrick makes light of his own part, and gives the credit to his men, who included Privates Wally Everett, of Adelaide, Bob Agars, of Elliston, and Bill Delbridge, of Cheltenham.’
The Advertiser the same month carried an extensive and detailed report. It began ‘Australian patrols climbed over the brow of Satelberg Mountain at 9 a.m. today, and within two hours they had cleaned up the toughest position this force has yet attacked. The Australian flag was hoisted among the attacked. The Australian flag was hoisted among the wrecked buildings of the old Lutheran settlement at 10 a.m., and an hour later the whole position was secured.’
The report added ‘For 36 hours our forward infantry struggled to cover the last 200 yards up a steep incline against strong fixed defences. Although I have heard the story of the final attack from the men who made it, their victory still seems to me to be a near miracle. The fall of Satelberg has broken the Japanese mountain stronghold, from which they could overlook and threaten Flnschhafen, and broken it irrevocably. There is still much hard fighting ahead to the north and in the wild terrain between Satelberg and the coast, but with this dominating position in our hands, the whole enemy system of positions is left without a keystone.’
Parochially the reporter added ‘The honor of capturing the position fell to a South Australian unit, which made the main thrust along the roadway, with tank support. For 36 hours their forward patrols had been probing the enemy's last lines of defence, where the road, dipping sharply into a deep gully, zig-zags up several hundred feet of mountainside to the top. The dense mountain forest is broken by the defile, which is flanked by almost sheer cliffs of bare, whitish clay. After having crossed this obstacle, the infantry had to storm a rise of more than 45 degrees, covered with lighter timber and controlled by enemy fire.’
Pride in the men was evident in the remainder of the report. ‘Platoons Advance Singly. Instead of a mass attack, which would have been very costly, small formations of infantry worked their way up the final slope, and late yesterday afternoon two platoons had come within yards of the enemy's defences. Heavy fire pinned down the troops on the left, and any further advance was impossible. On the right a platoon, led by Sgt. Tom ("Diver") Derrick, of North Adelaide, was brought to a stop after a determined effort to push through, and Derrick was forced to report the position untenable. The Japanese were covering the slope with machine-gun fire and were bowling down grenades on the attackers. Derrick was ordered to withdraw to a better position, but five minutes later word came through that his men had succeeded in cleaning out two of the Japanese weapon pits above. Seeing a chance of hanging on, Derrick pleaded for another 20 minutes before withdrawing. He had his wish, and before the 20 minutes were up the platoon had wiped out six Japanese positions. Derrick himself killed one Japanese machine-gunner who bobbed up a few yards in front of him. One Bren-gunner, who had refused to leave the front although he was wounded, went forward firing from the hip and killed two Japanese. He was still at Satelberg this afternoon, and he has decided to wait until the hospital is brought to him. The assault was so successful that Derrick decided to hang on to the position and dig in. The rest of the formation, which had withdrawn, moved forward in support. The Japanese kept up their intense fire, but they were subdued by a bombardment with mortar bombs, and the assault party held firm in their shallow foxholes. Ammunition and food supplies had run dangerously short, but every man in the area was backing up the attackers and, under cover of dark, an infantry party due to attack in the morning carried up supplies, feeling their way up the steep mountainside by the signal wire. They went without their sleep and finished the job by 5 a.m. This morning the orders were to hold back until the artillery had bombarded the mountain top. At 8 a.m. the shoot was over and the South Australian patrols moved cautiously forward. They found no opposition; they had won the battle overnight. The main formation followed them in and occupied the whole mountain crest. Troops on the left flank, who had had a hard fight against strong enemy positions on the previous day, pushed up and joined them a few hours later, and another force on the right flank made its way up the ridge in the afternoon. Officers gave the greatest credit for the final assault to Derrick a stocky, dark and cheerful soldier, who has already won the DCM in the Western Desert. Derrick worked for a while in a cream of tartar factory, and his men say that he is still a "tartar." Derrick does not admit that he took Satelberg single-handed and gives credit to his men. They are a cheerful bunch and inclined to be off-hand about the job they have done. Among them I met Ptes. Wally Everett, of Adelaide, Bob Agars, of Elliston, Bill Delbridge of Cheltenham, Stan Edmunds, of Colling-wood (Vic), and Les Eaton, of Geelong. Agars "did over" several Japanese foxholes, using a captured Japanese machine-gun and ammunition collected along the road. The men had been too busy to shave for the past two days, but Derrick said that if they hadn't taken Satelberg today, they would have found time to remove their whiskers.’
By August, ’44 Wally finally accepted his long overdue promotion to Corporal. He was eventually discharged in October ’45 but it took until March ’47 for his official Mention in Despatches to be gazetted.
This reluctant leader was awarded the 1939/45 Star, the African Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal, War Medal and Australian Service Medal in May ’54. Wally Lived to be 80 and died on the 19th August ’95. He is interred in the Derrick Gardens at Centennial Park Cemetery in Path 48, Grave 1063B.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes, SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.