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WRIGHT Walter Henry
514
Private
As part of '2nd LH Brigade'
2nd Light Horse Field Ambulance
Beerburrum Soldier Settlement
Yes
Quarter 4 1885
South Ockendon, Romford, Essex, England
7 November 1914
HMAT A30 Borda
15 December 1914
Brisbane

Family

In 1871, Walter Wright, aged 19, was a servant employed as a butcher in the household of Arthur Collier, also a butcher, in South Ockendon, Kent. In the first quarter of 1882, Walter married Ellen Amelia Clarke, with the marriage registered in the Romford district, Essex.

Walter Henry Wright€™'s birth was registered in South Ockendon, Kent in the 4th Quarter of 1885. His mother Ellen, aged only 33 years, died early in 1887.

In the Census for England and Wales of 1891, Walter (6) was recorded in the home of his spinster aunts Elizabeth (47) and Ellen (38), both licenced victuallers for the €œKing€™s Head€ in the High Street of South Ockendon. Also recorded there were Henry'€™s sister Gertrude (8) and three hotel staff. His father Walter, already a widower, was living with three adults in the High Street also.

In the Census for England and Wales of 1911, Walter Wright was the head of the family recorded at High Street, South Ockendon, Romford, Essex. He was a widower, 58 years of age and €œbutcher€ by trade. Also recorded at the dwelling were his spinster sister Ellen Wright (60) and his adult children Walter Henry (26), also a butcher, and Gertrude Lydia (28). They were unmarried.

After the Census date, Walter Henry Wright emigrated to Queensland.

Military Context

A Light Horse Brigade, at full complement, comprised about 2600 men. About 1700 men were involved in three Light Horse cavalry regiments and headquarters; the remainder were in an artillery battery (400), machine gun squadron (75), the Field Ambulance Unit (115), small veterinary contingent (25), and the brigade train and engineers (300).

The 2nd Light Horse Brigade was a mounted infantry brigade of the First A.I.F. which served in the Middle Eastern Theatre of the war. It first saw action while serving in the ANZAC€™s New Zealand and Australian Division during the Dardanelles campaign and in the Battle for Gallipoli. After being withdrawn to Egypt , it served in the ANZAC Mounted Division from March 1916 as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force during the Sinai and Palestine campaign until the end of the war.

Enlistment

Walter Wright enlisted at Brisbane on 7 November 1914. He declared his age as 30 years and occupation as €œlabourer€. His birthplace had been South Ockendon in Kent. He was 6 feet 1 ½ inches in height, weighed 187 pounds, of fair complexion, with blue eyes and brown hair. His religion was Church of England and he listed his sister Miss Gertrude Wright of Southend, England as his next of kin.

Military service

At Pinkenba, on 15 December 1914, Walter Wright was assigned to the Field Ambulance for the 2nd Light Horse Brigade. His Service Number was 514. That day, he embarked with €œA€ Squadron aboard HMAT A30 "€œBorda"€ which was a vessel of about 11,100 tons and with an average cruise speed of 14 knots. Private Wright was the last on the alphabetic list of the Embarkation Roll; of the 125 men, three were killed in action, one died of wounds and three died of illness or disease.

Walter Wright€™'s service was characterised by regular punishments for indiscipline and frequent periods of hospitalisation. After his evacuation from Gallipoli in December 1915, he had the misfortune to contract malaria which has never been easily shaken and has the potential to recur with debilitating effect. It can be assumed that, when he was not a patient himself, he discharged his duties to care for the sick and wounded of the 2nd Light Horse Brigade through the Egypt, Palestine and Sinai campaigns.

On 1 March 1915, while still preparing for deployment to the Gallipoli campaign, Private Wright forfeited two days of pay for neglect of duty, by being late for morning parade. On the 15 March, he was awarded 144 hours of detention for being absent from parade without leave and refusing to obey his superior€™'s order.

On 18 March 1915, Private Wright was admitted to hospital at Maadi suffering from influenza. He was discharged back to duty five days later.

Private Wright proceeded to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in the Gallipoli campaign on 15 May. Troopers of the Light Horse had left their horses in Egypt because the terrain of the Gallipoli peninsular had been properly judged to be unsuited to cavalry warfare.

On 29 September, he was awarded 48 hours of No.2 Field Punishment at Gallipoli for being absent from duty without leave.

On 24 December, he disembarked from the €œ"Caledonia"€ at Alexandria and proceeded to the Base Camp at Maadi. The Gallipoli campaign was over.

On 24 February 1916, he marched out to Serapeum. On 6 March, he was awarded 48 hours of confinement to barracks for being absent from parade.

On 20 May 1916, he was admitted to hospital at Serapeum suffering from myalgia. €œMyalgia€ was a generic term applied to muscle pain that could be attributable to many causes including overuse or over-stretching, viral infections or nutritional deficiencies. He was discharged on 23 May. Likely, malaria was taking its early hold.

From 3 to 5 August 1916, the 2nd Light Horse Brigade participated in the battle at Romani that finally put a stop to the Turkish threat to the Suez Canal and marked the beginning of the British Forces€™ drive out of Egypt into Palestine. On 9 August, in support of other British units pursuing the retreating Turks into Sinai, a Combined Brigade of the depleted 1st and 2nd Brigades fought at Bir El Abd. The Turks, in previously prepared defensive positions and supported by German machine gunners and Austrian artillery, halted the advance of the British Forces. The ANZAC Division casualties were was 73 dead, 243 wounded and 6 missing.

On 15 March 1917, Private Wright was sick to hospital at Wadi Hanein. Three days later, he was admitted to the 31st General Hospital at Port Said.

On 8 May 1917, he was admitted to 14th General Hospital, Cairo with varicose veins. On 17 June 1917, he was taken on strength again at the Field Ambulance from Details camp, Moascar.

On 17 September 1917, the 2nd Light Horse Brigade was again involved in a planned major assault on Bir el Mazar, a strong Turkish garrison only 25 miles from the major town of El Arish. When daylight dawned, the British Forces realised their position was less dominant than had been expected. After suffering casualties in early skirmishing, in a rare example of pragmatism during the war, the leadership resolved not to pursue the engagement. Some 700 camels carrying water were in place, on time to support the action but the logistics of bucketing water to 3000 desperately thirsty horses was a shambles.

On 31 December 1917, Private Wright was awarded 48 hours of Field Punishment No.2 for falling in for early morning parade without bringing his feed and grooming kit.

On 9 July 1918, he was again sick to hospital, this time suffering from diagnosed malaria. On 22 July, he was admitted to the 31st General Hospital at Abbassia. He did not rejoin his Ambulance unit until 16 September.

On 24 September, he was again sick to hospital with a relapse. He rejoined his unit on 30 September.

On 16 November 1918, he was again admitted to hospital at the 2nd Australian Clearing Hospital at Moascar.

On 17 January 1919, he was granted his €œ1914 leave€ and proceeded to England. He arrived in England on 1 February and was granted leave until 4 April when he would be required to report to Administration Headquarters in London. Malaria still lurked in his system and, on 5 March, he was admitted to the 4th London General Hospital at Denmark Hill. He was discharged on the 18 March.

On 31 May 1919, Private Wright embarked in England for return to Australia aboard the "€œAeneas€". The ship departed London on 4 June. On 12 July, he disembarked in Melbourne. After transfer to Brisbane by train, his term of engagement with the A.I.F. was complete and he was discharged on 28 July 1919.

After the War

Private Wright was issued the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

In the Electoral Roll of 1919, Walter was recorded at the People€™s' Palace, Ann St., Brisbane. His occupation was "€œbutcher"€.

In 1943, he was recorded at €œKingsholme€, Swann Road, Taringa.

In 1949, Walter was resident at the Eventide Home, Sandgate North.

In the Electoral Roll of 1958, Walter was recorded at the War Veterans€™ Home, Caboolture.

In 1954, he was recorded at 10 Manning St., South Brisbane. He offered no occupation.

Walter Henry Wright, aged 73 years, died on 28 September 1958. There is no evidence that he ever married.

  • Egypt
  • Gallipoli
  • Palestine
  • Sinai
Romai
WRIGHT Walter Henry
WRIGHT Walter Henry
WRIGHT Walter Henry
Returned to Australia
Disembarked the "Aeneas" at Melbourne on 12 July 1919
28 September 1958
Caboolture, Queensland
73 years
Queensland

Australian War Memorial National Australia Archives Ancestry.com

Charlie50

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