Military Medal for Rushden - Private W H Walker

“I knew nothing whatever about it until a short time ago, when I heard that I had been recommended. The only thing I want now is a few days’ leave. Lance-Corpl. Sanders over our section also has received a medal. We were together at the time, he acting No.1 and I No.2 on the gun.

Pte. W H Walker enlisted on Sept 3rd, 1914, and has been in France 15 months. He has been in several engagements, and has come through so far with nothing but a slight wound in the shoulder which he received during the engagement in which he won his medal. Pte. Walker was under 16 when he enlisted, and will not be 18 years of age until Nov. 29th. Mr and Mrs Walker are very proud of their gallant young son’s achievement.

In our issue of Sept. 29th 1916, we had pleasure in reporting that Lce-Corpl W H Walker (Northants Regt) son of Mr and Mrs W H Walker, of 14, Brookfield-road, Rushden, had been recommended for the Military Medal for conspicuous gallantry in the field on July 14, 1916. Further bravery has now secured him a bar to the coveted distinction. This latest deed of gallantry was performed on Feb 17th, 1917, during the operations against South Miraumont trench.

L-Cpl. Walker The Argus Newspaper

A certificate which he has forwarded to his parents reads as follows: “No. 13138 Lce-Corpl. W H Walker, M.M., --Battalion, Northants Regt. I have read with great pleasure the report of your regimental commander and brigade commander rergarding your gallant conduct and devotion to duty in the field on Feb. 17th, 1917, during the operations against South Miraumont Trench.—R. P. Lee, Major General, commanding – Division.”

Lance-Corpl. Walker was under 16 years of age when he enlisted on Sept. 3rd, 1914, and before he was 18 years of age he had been awarded the Military medal, and now, although he will not be 19 until Nov. 29th next, he has won a bar to be added to his previous distinction.

He had seen nearly 22 months’ service in France, and although he has been in the thick of the fighting he has come through practically uninjured except for a slight shrapnel wound in the shoulder, which he received during the Somme offensive last year. This however, was not sufficiently serious to send him to hospital.

Prior to joining the colours he was an assistant of the Rushden depot of the India and China Tea Company. His parents are justifiably proud of their gallant young son, and we feel sure that the town will join me in extending to them hearty congratulations.

Rushden Echo, 18^th May, 1917, transcribed by Gill Hollis

A Magnificent Bit of Work - A German Encircling Movement Frustrated
A Rushden Youth and his Lewis Gun - “A Gallant and Trusty Lad”

  Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Walker, of 14, Brookfield-road, Rushden, have received letters from their son, Lce.-Corpl. W. H. Walker, M.M., of the Northants Regiment, to say that he has been wounded in the right arm.

  The first news that Mr. and Mrs. Walker received was through the medium of a field-card, which brought the information that their son had been wounded and admitted into hospital.

  A subsequent letter addressed from No. 47, General Hospital, Le Treport, reads as follows:-  “Just a line to let you know I am getting on all right.  My wound is nearly better, and I expect I shall be back with the boys again shortly.  I hope my field-card did not cause too much anxiety.  This letter will have to be short as the wound is in my right arm, and pains if I use it too much.”

  Writing under date May 7^th, Lance-Corpl. Walker says:  “I am getting along all right.  I think I shall be out of this soon.  I would sooner be on this front than the Somme.  There is not so much shelling, but more machine gun fire.  I had two bullets hit my gun before I was hit, and I had one or two narrow shaves going back.  One bullet grazed my lip, and another cut the seat of my pants; not so bad for one day.”

  Lance-Corpl. Walker, who prior to enlistment, was employed by the Rushden depot of the India and China Tea Company, was under 16 years of age when he joined the Colours. And before he had reached his eighteenth year he had been awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous gallantry in the field.

  In our issue of April 13^th this year we had pleasure in reporting that the young soldier, who will not be 19 until November 29^th next, had achieved still further distinction, having won a bar to be added to his previous decoration for skilful manipulation of a Lewis gun under very trying circumstances and for taking charge of B Company’s guns when his senior N.C.O. was knocked out.

  This was during operations against South Miraumont Trench on February 17^th this year.

  A comrade of the Northants Regiment, giving to a representative of a London monthly a description of the fighting at this point and on that date, relates how a little group of five men of the Northamptons found themselves in danger of falling into a trap, from which they only managed to escape by cool daring and wonderfully accurate firing.  In the course of the interview he said:-

  “Skirting the outer edge of the wood, we reached the extreme of it at a point where a road leads to Waterlot Farm, where we knew there were Germans in plenty.  Bobbing up to have a look round, one of our men shouted: ‘Jocks advancing on our left!’  But there was something wrong with his eyesight, as I discovered when I took a peep.

  “They were not Jocks but Germans advancing along the left, working round towards the wood in a circling movement which would have meant another section of the British Army surrounded if their purpose had been fulfilled.

  “Here was a pretty kettle of fish indeed, for the five of us were too far away from the rest of the boys for help to be fetched in time to stop the circling movement by the body of Germans.  We had nothing but our rifles with us, of course, but in a minute we had recovered from the surprise, and were spreading ourselves out into firing position, so that we could give the enemy something to think about, anyway.

  “I reduced our numbers to four by sending one of the party back the way we had come to see if he could not lay his hands on a machine-gun team, or at least, a machine-gun.

  “As soon as he had gone we raised rifles to shoulders and began to pepper at those Germans as fast as ever we could.  They were coming out into the open round a bend.  The nearest of them were not more than fifty yards away, and they provided a splendid target, of which we made the fullest use.  Always aiming at the men who were leading the line, I saw one after another fall to our firing, and we had not been at the game many minutes before our pal returned with a godsend in the shape of a Lewis gun, and a man who could work it (Lce.-Corpl. Walker – Ed. R.E.).  What had happened to the rest of his gun-team he did not seem to know, and I certainly did not worry just then.  I had enough troubles of my own.  But he was a gallant and trusty lad our pal had picked up.  I helped him to plank his gun just on the edge of a shell-hole, and in almost less time than the telling takes he was pumping bullets into that band of Germans at as merry a tune as I have ever heard.

  “I think I forgot everything then, except that we were taking toll of enemy soldiers.  Certainly it never seemed to occur to me that we were running something of a risk ourselves, for we did not even take advantage of what cover there was near at hand.  Instead, three of us stood up, rifles to shoulder, and pegged away as steadily as if we had been doing target practice.  The other two were down on their knees, also firing.

   “Every shot was deliberately aimed at a human mark, but though the line of the enemy halted at first as their men began to fall, they were now coming steadily round the bend again.  It was indeed the finest bit of shooting I ever had – and one of the tightest of tight corners, too.

  “I owed the Germans quite a lot, for during the last few days they had taken from me many a trusty friend; but I remember thinking as I saw them fall that I was doing something to pay off the score.  The Lewis gun, of course, was creating more havoc than we were with our rifles, and I reckon, that if we had not had it with us the Germans would have stormed that bit of line we were holding.  Storming up to the muzzle of a machine-gun, however, is the sort of job that the average Boche does not relish.

  “Presently, however, we were in another fix, for the supply of ammunition, both for the Lewis gun and our won rifles, was giving out, and one at a time we had to leave our places to scout round for ammunition.  It was a gruesome job this, for it had to be taken from the men lying about who had fallen in the fight.

  “I felt sure that if we could only hold out long enough help would come, for our firing would be certain to attract attention.  And I was right.  Presently we were cheered by the sight of supports coming up from both flanks lining the edge of the wood on a decent-sized front.  The situation was saved.  As soon as the opposition fire increased the Germans realised that they were likely to get more than they bargained for, and they began to retire once more.”

A gallant son of Rushden has been wounded in the right arm. Lce-Corpl. W. H. Walker, Military Medallist, of the Northants Regiment, wrote home a field card, stating the fact that he had been wounded. Later he says he had two bullets hit his machine gun before he was hit. He had one or two narrow shaves going back, one bullet grazing his lip. “Not so bad for one day,” he remarks. He says he would rather be on that front than the Somme, as there was not so much shelling, though more machine gun fire. As previously reported, the young hero joined up before his 16th birthday, and was a Military Medallist before his 18th birthday. His parents are Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Walker, of 14 Brookfield-road. He also has a bar to the medal.

Sergt. W. H. Walker, M.M. (Northants Regiment) second son of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Walker, of 14 Brookfield-road, Rushden, is in hospital at Leicester suffering from pains of an unknown origin and slight wounds in the face, sustained on the night of July 2-3 in the Albert sector, when he was buried by the explosion of a shell. His parents visited him last week-end, and we are pleased to report that although he has been suffering from high temperatures he is now making satisfactory progress. Sergt. Walker enlisted in September 1914, at the age of 15, and during his three years’ service on the western front he has distinguished himself on more than one occasion, having been awarded the Military Medal and bar for gallantry on the field.