WITHERS Walter Matthias James

Walter Matthias James Withers was born in 1894 at Lismore one of 12 children of Daniel and Elizabeth Ann (nee Elphick). He was a single man who worked as a laborer and at age 21 stood 5ft 7 inches tall, weighed 141 Lbs with medium complexion and brown hair and eyes. Following enlistment in Brisbane on 1st February 1916 Walter went into 11th Depot battalion camp at Enoggera and later in March entrained for Sydney. On 1st April he sailed aboard A49 ‘Seang Choon’ and disembarked in June 1916 and marched into 4th Division depot, Egypt. On 6th august 1916 he sailed from Alexandria aboard ‘Megantic’ to join the British Expeditionary forces at Marseilles. In September he was evacuated to Bulford Military Hospital at Parkhouse England for treatment for VD and would spend the customary time in hospital followed by recovery time at the Parkhouse Auxiliary hospital. On 8th December he marched in to 4th Training Brigade at Codford waiting on redeployment overseas. He sailed aboard ‘Princess Victoria’ on 16th January 1917 from Folkestone and rejoined the 15th Battalion at Melbourne Camp, Mametz, which was near the front line, on 22nd January where there was heavy snow, hard frost and trenches to be dug. Om 16th February he was to be temporarily attached to 4th Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery in the Delville wood – Bapaume area. The battery remained in this area during February, march and into April and it is where on 11th April 1917 Walter was killed in action. He is buried at Villers-Bretonneux Memorial situated 2 Klm north of the town of Villers-Bretonneux and 16KLm east of Amiens. Walters’s last effects arrived in Australia for his mother aboard ‘Ulysses’ in 1921. His brother Albert Leonard Withers enlisted on 5th October 1917 and also assigned to 15th Battalion. He sailed aboard A14’ Euripides’ and died of illness on 25th November 1917 while at sea in the Panama Zone. He is buried at Corozal American Military Cemetery, which is 5 Klm north of Panama City and commemorated at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra on panel 78 next to his brother.

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Shire of Noosa Roll of Honor, Shire Council Chambers, Pelican Street, Tewantin

Cooran District Soldiers Poster - No 5 in Soldiers who Made the Supreme Sacrifice

Australian War Memorial panel 78

Image cropped from "Boys of the Cooran District", John Oxley Library, SLQ, Neg 52168 Australian War Memorial