Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

"Walter Howard Tunbridge (1856-1943), architect and soldier, was born on 2 November 1856 at Dover, Kent, England, son of John Nicholas Tunbridge, bricklayer, and his wife Ann, née Denne. Educated at Eythorne, Walter arrived in Australia as an assisted immigrant in 1884 and established an architectural practice at Townsville, Queensland, later that decade. By 1902 the firm Tunbridge & Tunbridge, civil engineers, architects and surveyors, was prominent in North Queensland.

Commissioned in the Mounted Infantry, Queensland Land Forces, in February 1889, Tunbridge was promoted lieutenant in December. His unit was called out to protect non-union labourers during the 1891 shearers' strike and in June 1892 he was promoted captain. Transferring to the Queensland Artillery (Townsville) Garrison Battery with the rank of major in November 1898, he left for South Africa on 1 March 1900 in command of the 3rd (Queensland) Mounted Infantry Contingent. After operations in Rhodesia in April and May, his unit moved to the Transvaal in July and saw action at Elands River and Rhenoster Kop. Early in 1901 it served in the Cape and Orange River colonies. For his services, Tunbridge was appointed C.B., mentioned in dispatches, awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with five clasps and made brevet lieutenant-colonel. Returning home, he rejoined his artillery unit and was aide-de-camp to the governor-general (1902-09)..." - READ MORE LINK (adb.anu.edu.au)

DEATH OF BRIG.-GENERAL
TUNBRIDGE
The death of Brigadier-General Walter Howard Tunbrldgc, CB., C.M.G, C.B.E., on October 11, at Hawthorn, Melbourne, recalls & former resident of Townsville, and one connected with the early military history of the North.
Captain Walter Tunbridge was a keen member of the old Mounted Infantry, and when the call came in 1891 to maintain order and protect property  during the shearers' strike, the captain and his men left for the West. They were joined at Charters Towers by the Mounted Infantry of that town, David  Missingham, a surveyor, and Robert Russell, auctioneer, being two of the officers. Later the Commandant, who recognised the or ganising ability of  deceased, asked him to re-organise the Garrison Artilery. Two of his subalterns were R. A. Wakeford and G. H. Prltchard. A grand Naval and Military  Tournament was staged In Townavllle on September 29, 1882, Charters Towers enthusiasts providing keen competition, and it was voted a huge  success. The Judges were Major Morrice, Brigade Major, Northern Division, Major Ralston and Captain F. W. Beattie, of the Kennedy Regiment. The Hon.  Secre tary and one of the organisers was Captain W. R. Tunbridge.
On the outbreak of the Boer War, Captain Tunbridge and many of his company were among the volunteers (including Percy Willmett, now Chairman of  the Townsville Harbour Board) and they sailed from Australia as the Third Queensland Mounted Infantry. Captain Tunbridge led his men from Biera, a seaport in Mozambique, to Capetown, over some thousands of miles of the South African veldt. His name was mentioned in despatches during his  service in South Africa. Perhaps his greatest feat was in the siege at Eland's River, where, for 14 days, in August, 1800, he was surrounded by the Boer  General Delarey with a force of 3000 men and seven guns. Captain Tunbridge had 600 Queenslanders and Rhodesians, with one obsolete seven pounder and two Maxim guns. What the Boer General did not know was that deceased had only one round left for his big gun. It was nursed carefully,  and the captain's knoweldge of artillery enabled that one shell to be used with devastating effect when an ugly situation threatened. The Queenslanderas were protecting a convoy or 90 waggons loaded with foodstuffs. After holding off the Boers for 14 days, they were relieved by Lord  Kitchener, with a force of 16,000 men.
In civilian life deceased was an architect, and he had practised his profession in England and France prior to coming to Townsville, where he opened an  office in the middle eighties. Subsequently he was joined by his brother, Oliver Allan Tunbridge, but the latter abandoned architecture to join the  military. About 1899 Mr. C. O. Lynch, who had served his articles with the firm of Tunbridge and Tunbridge, was admitted Into partnership, and the firm  name of Tunbridge, Tunbridge and Lynch appeared on the name plate.
Captain Tunbridge returned to Townsville at the close of the Boer War, but did not remain long. Following his marriage to Miss Leila, daughter of the  Hon. William Villers Brown, of Aplin, Brown and Crawshay, the late Captain Tunbridge sold his practice to Mr. C. D. Lynch, and went to Melbourne. Here  he opened an office in the city and he practised his profession there as an architect.
The organising ability of deceased was not confined to the military, and during his residence in Townsvllle he organised choirs, an orchestra, and was  the moving spirit behind the first band contest held in Townsville.