3rd Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
As Walker’s marriage certificate states his names as Stephen Henry Walker, I searched Ancestry records accordingly.
Stephen Henry Walker appears in the Northamptonshire baptism records for Daventry with a baptism date of 26 February 1898 although from enlistment records Walker was born in March 1895.
His father was also Stephen Henry and his mother, Elizabeth Ann formerly Norman. They married in Cheltenham on 19 April 1897. Stephen (senior) was a widower, his wife Frances (who was 14 years his senior) having only been buried on 16 February of that year.
The 1901 Census shows the family living in Cheltenham. Henry’s father was born in Wickwar and was a general labourer. The 1911 Census shows Elizabeth, now a widow, living with her son Henry at a lodging house at 3 Tower Street, Stroud.
The proprietors were Charles and Elizabeth Hyam whose daughter Lizzie married George Taylor – a soldier who is also buried at Stroud Cemetery. There were 29 in total living at the property.
Elizabeth gave her birth place as Bristol, and occupation as ‘pedlar’. Henry was an errand boy. On checking the records, Henry’s father died in 1910. There appear to be no siblings. The census gives Henry’s age as 16, which would equate to his birth being in 1895.
Walker married Helena Wigley on 4 October 1913 at Uplands, Stroud and their first daughter called Doreen Helena was born on 15 February 1914. Thankfully the records of Walker’s military service survived, by way of an Army Pension File.
Walker enlisted with the Gloucestershire Regiment at Bristol on 8 August 1914 and gave his age as 19 years and five months and his occupation as ‘tinker’. His wife would have been pregnant at this time — Josephine Malines Walker was born on 20 March 1915. I assume that Josephine’s second name was to remember Malines in Flanders where her father may have served during his service in Flanders. There is also a pear called Josephine de Malines.
He was posted to the 1st Battalion on 29 November 1914 and served with them in France from 29 November 1914 until 28 December 1914. He then returned home and transferred to the 2nd Battalion just prior to going to France on 7 April 1915, where he served until 5 July 1915.
Having been wounded he returned to the UK on 6 July.
The records state the following with regard to Walker’s injury: “Gunshot wound L scapula. In action 8th May 1915 at Ypres. Was hit by shrapnel, scar over acromion and mark of operation over sixth rib in mid scapula region. Ankylosis of arm, cannot use arm (l). Shrapnel removed. Medical board 28:9:15. Permanent. Prevents ½ at present. Minute sheet 3 of 22:12:15. Scar of entry over outer edge of clavicle (left) which is deficient. He cannot voluntarily abduct arm, but there is free movement in the glenoid for the humerus. Muscles of arm and forearm all right. Nearly equal to loss of a limb. Permanent. Prevents ½. No earnings for past 12 months. Present earnings nil.”
Walker was discharged on 9 December 1915, at Gravesend, as being no longer physically fit for War Service. He had served for one year and 124 days.
His character was described thus: This man has borne an excellent character all through his service and has incurred no entry of any kind.
Walker attended medical boards in the May and October of 1916 and 1917 and in October 1917 he was awarded 1s 6d for each of his two daughters.
Private Stephen Henry Walker died on 1 November 1918, age 23. Military records state:
Man died 1:11:18. Award to be cancelled from end of quarter in which man died.
He was buried in Stroud Old Cemetery, where a CWGC headstone now marks his grave.
The death certificate which I obtained shows Walker died from ‘Influenza 14 days and Double pneumonia’.
His occupation was given as Army Pensioner and a Motor Driver. The informant was G E Cox, his step father, his mother having re-married in June 1918.
Sadly, from the records on Ancestry, it appears that Doreen died aged just five in December 1919 and her sister, Josephine died in September 1922 aged seven. It does not appear that Helena remarried following her husband’s death and died in Stroud in 1968.
Research by Helen Wollington 13 January 2018