BROWN, Walter James
| Service Number: | 7440 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Coolgardie, Western Australia,Australia, 1900 |
| Home Town: | Coolgardie, Coolgardie, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 25 April 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Adelaide Cemetery Villers-Bretonneux, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Kings Park Western Australia State War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Jun 1917: | Involvement Private, 7440, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Jun 1917: | Embarked Private, 7440, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Fremantle | |
| 25 Apr 1918: | Involvement Private, 7440, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 7440 awm_unit: 51 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-04-25 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoff Tilley
Walter James Brown is believed to be born in 1900 at Coolgardie, Western Australia with very little known about Walter’s early years.
His parents are unknown and are recorded as missing. It is believed that Walter was adopted by an Elizabeth Brown of Kalgoorlie who worked as a nurse.
Elizabeth had a daughter Nellie, but the details of Nellie’s father or Elizabeth’s husband are unknown.
A Newspaper article in the Kalgoorlie Western Argus (WA 1896 – 1916) Tuesday 25 March 1913, page 9 reports that a Nellie May Turnbull on her complaint in which her husband Benjamin Turnbull was charged with having by his persistent cruelty caused her to leave and live apart from him.
The newspaper article records the mother of Nellie as Elizabeth with a 13-year-old adopted son.
Walter enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in January 1917 recording his age as 18 years and 7 months, with Elizabeth signing to give her permission for Walter to enlist and embark overseas before he attained the age of 19 years.
A notation on the enlistment papers made by Elizabeth that she was Walter’s guardian on an order from the Supreme Court of WA.
Walter embarked for overseas service from Fremantle in June 1917 attached to 11 Battalion with the 25threinforcements.
He disembarked in England in August 1917 where he was attached to a training battalion, before proceeding to France in March 1918 and taken on strength with 51 Battalion in the field.
By late April 1918 the Germans had captured the village of Villers-Bretonneux, with the Australians planning an immediate counter attack to take place on the night of 24 April 1918.
The attacked commenced at 10.10pm on the southside of the village with the Australian’s objective was Monument Wood.
German machine gunners were positioned in the wood of Bois d’ Aquenne on the left flank of the Australians which stalled their advance inflicting heavy casualties.
The Australians pushed on through to the barbwire entanglement at the Cachy Switch reaching the road from Villers-Bretonneux to Hangard just south of their objective of Monument Wood and digging in.
It was during this attack that Walter was killed. His exact fate is unknown. His body was later recovered from the battlefield, and he was buried in the Adelaide Cemetery Villers Bretonneux.
Private Walter James Brown, 7440 of 51 battalion was recorded as killed in action on 25 April 1918 at Villers Bretonneux France. He was 19 years of age.
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