Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Walter, eldest son of Walter (1858-1924) and Eliza (nee Doel 1875-1956), was born at Waimate on 21 September 1895. He was educated at the Waimate Public School where he was awarded prizes for attendance in 1903 (Infants) and 1906 (standard 3). His father was born in Stoke Lyne, Oxfordshire, England and had come out to New Zealand, aged about 16, with his family on the Sussex, arriving in Dunedin in 1874 along with his parents and 8 siblings. Walter junior’s mother Eliza was born in Waimate where the Doel family were active in the brick making industry using a kiln on the Timaru Road. When Walter’s parents married he was travelling the countryside with a merry-go-round driven by a three wheeled engine. When Walter (junior) enlisted on 29 January 1917, he was working as a farm labourer for his father on their 50 acre farm where they were milking cows for a local milk run. In 1916 he had been exempted from territorial drill on account of his health, and had also been earlier discharged from the senior cadets as medically unfit. His enlistment papers described him as being 5 foot 5 inches tall, single, aged 21, weighing 126 pounds (57 kgs), chest measuring 31 – 33 ½ inches, of fair complexion, brown eyes and light brown hair. He nominated his mother Eliza who was living at Timaru Road as his next of kin, and as his address on enlistment. Walter was posted to the Wellington Infantry Regiment where he joined B Company and left with the 28th Reinforcements from Wellington on 24 July 1917, aboard (HMNZT89) SS Waitemata. On arrival at Capet Town he was transhipped to the SS Norman and arrived at Plymouth, England, on 28 September 1917. A short period of training followed with the Wellington Regiment 4th Reserve Battalion at Sling Camp before he proceeded overseas to France on 26 October. On 8 November he joined the 1st Wellington Infantry Regiment (WIR) and was posted to the 9th Company. On 7 December 1917 he was detached to the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company who were carrying out work building underground subways and shelters for front line infantry. On 18 January 1918 he rejoined the WIR where they were in the Divisional Reserve at Walker Camp. On 20 January 1918 they moved to Manawatu Camp and took over from the 1st Canterbury where they formed part of the brigade support. Here they supplied working parties for the front line and were to be heavily involved in the German 1918 “spring offensive” and the Allied counter attacks of August. On 30 June 1918, during a quiet period, he was detached to the Defence Logistic Support School where he received further training in combat support roles and returned to his unit on 12 July. This pleasant interlude was shortly to come to an end, for, on the 1st July, the 1st Battalion relieved part of the King's Own Regiment and part of the 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers, in the line at Rossignol Wood. Large numbers of men of both battalions were at this time suffering from Spanish influenza and over one hundred men were afflicted. In late August he had a short spell sick with the Field Ambulance. From here on the push towards Germany began in earnest. On the 11 October the 1st Wellington’s pushed through Briastre and crossed the river Selle but was met with heavy machine gun fire and Walter was wounded. He was back with his unit on 19 October where the advance was continuing to the Rhine. Finally they reached Cologne, and with the end of hostilities, demobilisation began with drafts leaving for England every few days. Walter was finally detached to England on 25 February 1919 and boarded the SS Carpentaria at London on 2 April, reaching NZ on 19 May 1919. Leave then followed until his final discharge at the end of his engagement, on 16 June 1919. He had served a total of 2 years and 67 days and was later awarded the British War Medal and Victory medals. Walter returned to Waimate. On 18 February 1925 he married at Temuka, Miss Amy Knight (1902-1988), the youngest daughter of Mr & Mrs William Knight. They remained in the Waimate district where Walter worked as a farm labourer. Wakter died on 19 August 1963, aged 67 years. He is buried in the Waimate Lawn Cemetery next to his wife Amy. A brother, 80017 Rifleman Harold Hawkins, also served overseas with the NZ Rifle Brigade in England.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [June 2017]; Assorted records at Ancestry.com [June 2017]; 'Military Appeal Board' in the Timaru Herald 28 December 1916 p9 and 'Wedding: Knight-Hawkins' in the Temuka Leader 21 February 1925 p2, courtesy of Papers Past at https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/; New Zealand ANZACs in the Great War 1914-1918 (University of New South Wales) at http://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=110495; 'Local family has long association with Waimate timber industry' on Pearls Family History website at http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/pearlw/newspaperh.htm

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available.

Researched and Written by

Ted Hansen, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.