WALLACE, Walter


No.5484, Acting Sergeant, Walter WALLACE
Aged 37


7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Killed in Action on 12th October 1916


Walter Wallace was born in Horringer (4th qtr 1879 Thingoe 4a:572) son of Henry and Ann WALLACE( née CREASY)

1881 census...Aged 1, he was at The Street, Horringer with his father Henry William WALLACE [36] farm labourer born Chevington; his mother Ann [40] born Bury St.Edmunds; brothers Alfred [6] born Chevington and Frederick [4] born Horringer.

1891 census...Aged 11, he was still at The Street, Horringer with his parents, father now woodman; brother Alfred (gardener) and Frederick (shepherd).

1901 census...Not found in this census, quite possibly in the Army in South Africa, but no records of this have been found either. His widowed mother was at Martins Green, Chevington with his brother Alfred (on leave from Kings Royal Rifles) and Frederick (a woodsman). His father had died in 1900.

1911 census...Aged 32 he was single, a farm labourer, at Stone Cottages, Brooks Corner, Chevington with his brother Frederick and his wife Alice and 3 children

On the pension card his sister in law Alice at Stone Cottages, Brooks Corner, Chevington was recipient of the gratuity.



He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds
The 7th Suffolks had been given their orders for the battle of Transloy, then were ordered to take part in the attack on Bayonet Trench and Luisenhof Farm. Overnight they were heavily shelled until they moved to their assembly trenches just before dawn.Company headquarters were all in a dugout in a sunken road leading to Gueudecourt Wood. After a reasonably quiet morning they set off at 2 pm in the open, where they were subject to very heavy cross fire of every description, mainly though from machine guns and automatic rifles. Close to the German trenches the attack was held up by machine gun nests and barbed wire, and the waves, unable to go further, lay down. Then remarkable gallantry was shown by several officers and men. This was a calamitous day for the Suffolk Regiment with over 500 casualties. All of the officers became casualties. 11 Officers and 111 men were killed.






Walter Wallace is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme pier/face 1C/2A

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


BACK