Private. 2nd/7th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment. Service Number 306915.
Early life:
Walter was born in Oakworth in 1892, registered at Keighley in the third quarter of the year. Parents Naylor and Mary Smith. In 1901 he was eight and living at True Well Hall, near to Holme House and Gooseye in Oakworth with his
parents, two sisters and one brother. His father Naylor was a blacksmith/journeyman. In 1911 he was eighteen and living at True-Well Hall cottage with his parents. Naylor was a mill blacksmith and Walter was a beater labourer at a paper mill – probably the one at Gooseye.
War service:
Walter enlisted in Keighley some time around April 1916. (calculated from soldiers effects)
He was reported killed in action on August 12, 1917, and he was buried in grave 15, row G, of Noreuil Australian Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France.
The following war diary entries can be visualised with the trench maps below:
Trench Map. Hendecourt: special sheet, parts of 51B S.W., S.E. & 57C N.W., N.E.
Trench Map 57C N.W.
War diary entry for 2nd/7th Battalion West Riding Regiment. August 1917:
C.6.c.4.3. Front Line:
August 9. Showery. Laying of new trench boards proceeded with. Situation quiet. Transport shelled in NOREUIL at night. No casualties.
August 10. Quiet day, Some rain. 2nd. Lieutenant A. A. Gould admitted to hospital. Usual washing parties. Small patrols. 1 man wounded.
August 11. Trench routine. Machine gun activity at intervals. Lieut (adjutant) M. Ormerod proceeded on leave. Enemy ‘minnies’ very active. Patrols small. 1 man killed.
August 12. Quiet day. Fine. Battalion relieved in line by 2/4th York and Lancaster Regiment. Battalion moved on relief to new ‘A’ camp MORY.
The man killed on August 11 is the only man reported killed in that period. However, two men are recorded with the Commonwealth war Graves Commission for this battalion in this week.
According to the war diary above, one man was wounded on the 10th August and was probably evacuated to the Casualty Clearing Stations at Grevillers and died of his wounds there, then subsequently buried in the Grevillers British Cemetery. We suspect this was 25 year old 305334 Private Charles Partridge of Leek, Staffordshire. He left a widow Nellie and a son Charlie aged just three.
In the war diary, the man reported killed on the 11th is probably Walter Smith, as he was buried at Norieul Australian Cemetery and this was very close to the front line, just to the North West of the village of Norieul. There is a discrepancy of a day in the date of death, but this is not unusual to see between the war diary record and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission record.
Keighley News September 8, 1917 page 3:
His photograph appeared in this issue – “Private W. Smith, of Oakworth. Killed.” There was no write up
about Walter’s death.
Keighley News August 17, 1918 page 8:
IN MEMORIAM.
SMITH – In affectionate remembrance of our dear friend, Private
Walter Smith, of Oakworth, killed in France, August 12, 1917.
One friend lost, but heaven has gained
One of the best, the world contained.
From Mrs Brearley and Sons, Undercliffe, Bradford.
Post war:
Walter was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his war service.
Remembrance:
He is remembered on the Oakworth War Memorial at Holden Park in Oakworth and on the Slack Lane Baptist Chapel war memorial in Oakworth Community Hall. He is also named on the Oakworth Great War Centenary roll of honour which is on display at Oakworth Community Hall in the village.
