Harold Walker (British Army officer)
Sir Harold Bridgwood Walker | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Hooky" |
| Born | 26 April 1862 First World War
|
| Awards | Mentioned in Despatches (9) (France)Croix de guerre |
First World War. He was highly regarded by the men he commanded and was only replaced in 1918 when politics dictated that all divisions of the Australian Imperial Force
should be commanded by Australians.
Early life
Walker was born on 26 April 1862 in
George Walker. He was educated at Shrewsbury School[2] and Jesus College, Cambridge.[3] However, he did not graduate, having left before completing his degree.[4]
Military career
Walker was commissioned into the
major on 29 November 1900 and was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).[7] He served during the later part of the war in command of the 4th Mounted Infantry Battalion in South Africa.[5] Following the end of the war in June 1902, Walker returned home on the SS Kinfauns Castle in October,[8] and received the substantive rank of major on 22 November 1902.[9]
First World War
Before the outbreak of the
brigadier-general.[10]
Landing at Anzac
For the invasion of the
New Zealand Infantry Brigade, Colonel Francis Johnston, became ill.[10] Walker had landed as Birdwood's representative on the beach and was instructed to assume command of the brigade which held the left flank of the Anzac perimeter, occupying a ridge that was given the name "Walker's Ridge". Walker relinquished command of the brigade when Johnston returned to duty but was soon after, on 30 April, given permanent command of the Australian 1st Infantry Brigade whose commander, Colonel H. N. MacLaurin, had been killed during the Turkish counter-attack of 27 April.[10]
When on 15 May the senior Australian general, and commander of the
W. T. Bridges was killed by a sniper in Monash Valley, command of the 1st Division temporarily passed to Walker.[10]
According to the Australian official historian,
Australian 2nd Division on 26 July, Walker was restored to permanent command of the 1st Division, a post he would hold through the remainder of the Gallipoli Campaign and much of the AIF's campaigning on the Western Front.[10]
Lone Pine
Walker now oversaw the 1st Division's preparations for the
H. G. Bennett. When the first attempt failed, Walker assumed that the attack had been mishandled and so ordered another attempt to be made. When this second attempt also failed, Walker, aware that failure here would jeopardise later attacks at other points, ordered a third attempt but upon receiving further negative reports, he approached Birdwood and got approval to call off the assault. It is from this episode that Walker learnt never to repeat an attack without modifying the plan to address the causes of its failure. On 29 September Walker was buried when a shell exploded in his dugout and two weeks later, on 13 October, he was severely wounded by a machine gun while visiting the front-line.[10]
Walker was initially replaced by Brigadier-General Talbot Hobbs until he too fell sick, and then by Brigadier-General Harry Chauvel.
Western Front
In March 1916, following the evacuation of the Gallipoli peninsula, Walker resumed command of the 1st Division and moved to
Australian government to have command positions in the Australian Imperial Force held by Australians or at least members of the AIF – Walker was neither. On 5 March 1918, General Birdwood informed the headquarters of the British Expeditionary Force (of which the Australian Corps was part) that all non-AIF commanders could be replaced by AIF officers once suitable positions in British Army units could be found. However, Birdwood insisted that Walker be the last officer to be replaced and so Walker was still in command of the 1st Division during the fighting at Hazebrouck.[10]
When Birdwood was promoted to command of the reformed
48th (South Midland) Infantry Division, which at the time was stationed in Italy.[1]
Later career
In 1920, Walker returned to England was made commanded of the
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, India.[1]
Walker retired from the army in 1928.[2]
Legacy
Walker Lines at
industrial estate but still known as 'Walker Lines'.[11]
Personal life
In 1887, Walker married Harriet Edith Coulthard. Together they had two sons.[2]
On 5 November 1934, Walker died in Crediton, Devon, England; he was aged 72.[1][2] He was survived by his wife and children.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Walker, Harold Bridgwood". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g "WALKER, Lt-Gen. Sir Harold Bridgwood". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ^ "Walker, Harold Bridgwood (WLKR881HB)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ "Major General Sir Harold Walker". awm.gov.au. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ^ a b Hart′s army list, 1903
- ^ "The War - Embarcation of Troops". The Times. No. 36090. London. 15 March 1900. p. 10.
- ^ "No. 27490". The London Gazette. 31 October 1902. p. 6902.
- ^ "The Army in South Africa - Troops returning Home". The Times. No. 36899. London. 15 October 1902. p. 8.
- ^ "No. 27497". The London Gazette. 21 November 1902. p. 7536.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Walker, Sir Harold Bridgwood (1862–1934) Biographical Entry Australian Dictionary of Biography Online
- ^ "Geograph:: Walker Lines Bodmin in 1940's © Colin Day cc-by-sa/2.0".
Further reading
- Davies, Frank (1997). Bloody Red Tabs: General Officer Casualties of the Great War 1914–1918. London: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 9781783462377.
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