STAINES, Walter
| Service Number: | 5118 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 February 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 30th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Scone, New South Wales, Australia, 1898 |
| Home Town: | Mittagong, Wingecarribee, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Mittagong Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in action, Belgium, 19 March 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
La Plus Douve Farm Cemetery, Wallonie, Belgium Plot III, Row D, Grave No. 9. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Mittagong Superior Public School Great War Honour Roll, Mittagong War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Feb 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5118, 30th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 May 1917: | Involvement Private, 5118, 30th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Marathon embarkation_ship_number: A74 public_note: '' | |
| 10 May 1917: | Embarked Private, 5118, 30th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Marathon, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Walter Staines came from a broken family, born in 1898 to James and Jenny Staines. The father died when the Walter was an infant and when he enlisted, he gave no next of kin and referred to himself as a ‘State boy’.
His older brother Charles Staines also enlisted, and he gave his next of kin as as a guardian. It seems both boys were for some time in the care of guardians or foster parents.
Walter joined the 30th Battalion in France in late November 1917 and was killed in action in Belgium at the start of the German offensive of 1918. His brother, 467 Pte. Charles Staines 49th Battalion AIF had been killed in action at Passchendaele on 12 October 1917, aged 20.
In Walter’s case a Mrs. Matilda Snowden of Mittagong, New South Wales, emerged as his foster mother, having cared Walter from when he was about 10 years old and he had lived with her until his enlistment in WW1 at 18 years of age.
Walters’s birth mother, Jenny Staines, was eventually informed that as Walter gave no relatives upon enlistment his medals had been given to his foster mother, Mrs. Snowden.
Walter’s death was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, under the heading ‘A Youthful Hero.’ “Private Walter Staines, who was killed In France on March 19 last, was only l8 years of age. He was well-known in Mittagong, where he resided tor several years, and enlisted soon after he attained his 17th year.”