HOBBA, Walter
| Service Number: | SX6337 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 June 1940, Wayville, SA |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Broken Hill, NSW, 11 May 1907 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | North Broken Hill Commercial School |
| Occupation: | Storeman |
| Died: | Age, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 31 August 2000, aged 93 years |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia Lawn 3, Path 20, Site No. 1588. |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 22 Jun 1940: | Involvement Sergeant, SX6337, 2nd/43rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Wayville, SA | |
| 22 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Sergeant, SX6337 | |
| 28 Oct 1944: | Discharged | |
| 28 Oct 1944: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Sergeant, SX6337 |
Help us honour Walter Hobba's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography
Walter was 33 years old at enlistment, he had a wife and 3 children. He seemed to assume the role of a father to the young soldiers in his company and to this end was highly respected, he looked after them and they admired him for it. Just recently (in 2015) I had the priveledge to converse with one of these younger Soldiers (now 91 years old) and he related (with teary eyes) how Wally looked after him and others, how much respect he had gained over the years away in the Middle East and New Guinea. He was neither a drinker or a smoker, a Christian in his outlook. Walter was a fine cricketer, a slow bowler with match figures 7/33, 4/6 after 3.4 overs with 1 maiden and a hatrick, He played for Norths in Broken Hill and played against 2 NSW Sheffield Shield sides, which included Don Bradman. I believe he played some cricket games in the Middle East as well. The only story I can remember that he told us was that when my sister Joy was born the Church Minister sent a telegram to him in Egypt 'Daughter born, 11th, all well' to which a soldier piped up with 'Geez mate, what do you do in your spare time?' She was born on the 1th of March! I believe he didn't tell us much about the war because we didn't need to know, After the war service he spent his spare time helping others, he was a truly selfless man.