Clegg, Walter Henry

418 Company Quarter Master Sergeant Walter Henry Clegg - 11th Battalion AIF

Walter Henry Clegg was born In Victoria in 1883 to Jacob and Margaret Clegg. 

He had several siblings, Lillian (1881), Percy (1885), Francis (1886), Eveline (1888), Charles (1891), Wilfred (1893) and Stanley in 1896.

Their father Jacob died in 1895 and in 1902 Margaret remarried to John McKillop. The family then moved to Western Australia.

The family soon moved to Western Australia and took up residence at 92 East Street Fremantle.

On arrival in Fremantle Walter soon secured employment as a Clerk and Storeman with D&J Fowler, during which time he also saw a few years of service with the 11th Australian Infantry Regiment where he was promoted to the rank of Colour Sergeant.

(Photo below-Walter Clegg is standing at the end of the 2nd row)

On the 14th August 1914 at Fremantle Walter enlisted into the AIF. He was found to be fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 6 inches tall;

Weight - 170lbs;

Chest Measurement - 38 & 1/2 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Grey;

Hair - Dark Brown.

Upon his successful enlistment Walter was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the 11th Battalion AIF.

He trained at Blackboy Hill Camp for the next few months as they waited for their embarkation orders to arrive. On the 31st October 1914, Walter and his battalion boarded the transport ship HMAT Ascanius in Fremantle Harbour, the ship then mooring in Gage Roads until the 2nd November 1914 when the ship set sail for Egypt.

Upon their arrival in Egypt, the 11th Battalion were sent to Mena Cairo, near the base of the pyramids. They trained here till March 1915 when the 11th Battalion were moved to Lemnos Island off the Turkish coast. They had several weeks of training in in preparation for a landing on the Turkish coast.

On 25th April 1915 Walter and the 11th Battalion landed at North Beach just past Anzac Cove, and made their way inland. Confused fighting over the next week led to a small capture of ground amongst the first and second ridges at Gallipoli.

Though casualties were heavy, Walter came through the initial fighting unscathed. He served continuously until the 7th November 1915 when he was wounded by shrapnel, though even then Walter only spent three days away from his unit while he underwent medical care at the Field Ambulance on the beach. He returned the 11th Battalion three days later. When he returned he was promoted to Corporal and a few weeks later to Sergeant.

The 11th Battalion were then sent to Lemnos Island for a rest period and as Gallipoli was going to be evacuated in December 1915, the 11th Battalion remained on Lemnos till after Christmas 1915. They were then sent to Egypt, arriving there on the 6th January 1916. 

As he was a Sergeant, Walter would have been kept busy for the next few months instructing the new recruits that were filling the Battalion. Walter had also been able to manage to get his brother Percy transferred in from the 28th Battalion.

On the 29th March 1916 the 11th Battalion left Egypt bound for France, arriving at Marseilles on the 5th April 1916.

The 11th Battalion were then sent to northern France to the Armentieres sector. They had their first experience of Western Front trench life in this sector and would remain there through to June 1916.

On July 23rd 1916 the 11th Battalion took part in the capture of Pozieres village. During the action on the 23rd July Walter was wounded being hit by shrapnel through the foot. He was given initial medical treatment at the 2nd Australian Field Ambulance and from there was sent to the 44th Casualty Clearing Station.

The following day Walter was admitted to the 23rd General Hospital at Etaples on the French coast. He only had two days here and was then transferred to England where he was admitted to the Military Hospital at Grantham.

He was released from hospital after a few weeks and then was given a furlough. He was then to report for duty at No.1 Command Depot Camp at Perham Downs. Walter was then taken on strength of the Training Cadre at the 3rd Training Battalion.

Walter would remain in England on duty at the 3rd Training Battalion until August 1917. He was promoted to Company Quarter Master Sergeant during this time.

He rejoined the 11th Battalion on the 18th August 1917. He subsequently served with them at the Third Battle of Ypres, seeing action at the Battle of Menin Road on September 20th 1917 and at Zonnebeke, Broodseinde and Celtic Wood in October 1917.

From November to March 1918 the 11th Battalion continued to hold the line in Belgium between Messines and Ypres.

In March 1918 Walter was granted two weeks leave to England. While on leave he reported sick and was admitted to the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Southall. It appears Walter had also developed a hernia and after some initial medical treatment it was decided to return him to Australia.

On the 8th April 1918 Walter boarded the hospital transport ship Dunluce Castle and set sail for home, however on arrival in Egypt he was transferred to a different ship, HMAT Port Darwin disembarking in Sydney on the 17th August 1918.

He then was returned to Fremantle being discharged from the AIF on the 25th December 1918.

On the 3rd February 1919 Walter enlisted for home service eventually being discharged on the 26th February 1920.

In 1922 Walter married Lillian Harrison in Fremantle and they would have two children, Baden and May. They would be living at 92 East Stret Fremantle.

In the 1930's they were living at Brown Street Claremont, during which time Walter was working as a hospital attendant.

Walter Henry Clegg died in Pinjarra in 1954 aged 71