Brown, Walter Mather

2591 Private Walter Mather Brown - 51st Battalion & 4th Australian Division Headquarters

Walter Mather Brown was born in Junee New South Wales in 1891 to William and Mary Brown. He had four siblings, with, Margaret 1883, William 'Snowy' Mather Brown 1885, Alice 1898 and Nellie 1901.

The family moved to Fremantle in the 1890's and took up residence at 1 Isidore Street North Fremantle. Sadly this street no longer exists.

Walter completed his education in North Fremantle and after leaving school he took up work as a fireman for Western Australian Government Railways.

When he was working at Northam in August 1915 Walter decided to enlist into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 7 & 1/4 inches tall;

Weight - 135lbs;

Chest Measurement - 34-36 inches;

Complexion - Brown;

Eyes - Grey;

Hair - Brown.

After his successful enlistment Walter was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he spent several weeks in the Training depots where he was taken through the basics of infantry work. On the 18th October 1915 he was assigned to the 6th Reinforcements to the 28th battalion AIF. He trained with this group for the next few weeks but on the 2nd November 1915, his group received orders to embark and so entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Ulysses. This ship then set sail for Egypt, arriving there at the end of November 1915.

The men would have been expecting to be sent on to Gallipoli, but with that battlefield about to be evacuated, Walter and his group were retained in Egypt. Walter was retained in the AIF reinforcement camp in Egypt for the next few months. He was taken on strength of the 51st Battalion on the 3rd March 1916.

He trained with the 51st Battalion in the next few months in the Egyptian desert as the men were taken through some hard training. They finally received their departure orders and on the 5th June 1916 the 51st battalion boarded the transport ship Ivernia and set sail for France, reaching Marseilles on the 12th June 1916.

After reaching Marseilles the men were disembarked and sent north to the Armentieres sector. They would have their first experience in the trenches on the Western Front in this sector.

On the 26th June 1916 the 51st Battalion were in the front line trenches. Walter was cleaning his rifle when the Germans launched a bombardment of their trenches. He accidentally shot himself in the hand and was evacuated to medical care.

A court of enquiry was held as self inflicted wounds were always examined however eye witnesses all stated that it was an accident. Walter was therefore exonerated from blame.

After receiving the wound he was sent to the 3rd Field Ambulance and then the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station. He was then sent to No.8 Stationary Hospital at Wimereux.

The wound meant that Walter missed the actions at Mouquet Farm in August and September 1916. Many of the men he had served with in "B" Company had been killed, wounded or taken prisoner.

Walter remained a patient at No.8 Stationary Hospital at Wimereux till the 5th October 1916. He was then transferred for duty to 4th Division Headquarters. He remained on detachment to 4th Division HQ through the rest of 1917.

In January 1918 Walter was granted two weeks leave to England and after he returned on the 28th January 1918 it appears Walter was taken back on strength of the 51st Battalion.

The 51st Battalion were holding the front line in Belgium just south east of Ypres near Hollebeke. On the 5th March 1918 Walter was sent to hospital injured with a fractured tibia. He was initially treated at the 13th Field Ambulance and was then sent to the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station. He was then admitted to the 53rd General Hospital at Boulogne. He only spent four days there and was then shipped to England. On arrival Walter was sent to the 1st Southern General Hospital in Birmingham. He was here for two weeks and was then transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Hurdcott.

On the 19th April 1918 Walter was released from hospital and was granted a two week furlough. After this leave was over in early May 1918 he reported into No.4 Command Depot Camp at Hurdcott. Walter remained at Hurdcott for six weeks and was then transferred to the Overseas Training Brigade Camp at Longbridge Deverell.

On the 10th July 1918 Walter was sent back to France and spent two weeks at the Base Depot Camp, but then joined the 51st Battalion on the 25th July 1918.

On August 8th 1918 the advance from Villers-Bretonneux commenced which put the Germans on retreat. The Australians, British and Canadian divisions pushed the Germans back along the front and for the next few months kept advancing. Walter and the 51st Battalion would be heavily involved from August 8th onwards for the next several weeks.

Walter did ago absent without leave for two days in August for which he was punished with ten days of field punishment no.2 and was fined 12 days pay.

The 51st Battalion fought their last action on September 18th 1918 and Walter came through safely. They were then withdrawn from the line for a well deserved rest period.

When the Armistice was signed on the 11th November 1918 the 51st Battalion were still out of the line. The Germans now withdrew to within their own borders and the Australian units went into what had been German occupied parts of Belgium and France. From December 1918 to May 1919 the Australians remained in these areas.

On the 20th November 1918 Walter had been evacuated to Hospital and only returned to his unit on the 6th February 1919.

On the 13th March 1919 Walter returned to England and was sent to No.4 Command Depot Camp at Hurdcott.

On the 1st May 1919 Walter boarded the troopship China and set sail for Australia, arriving at Fremantle on the 1st June 1919.

Walter was discharged from the AIF on the 24th July 1919. He then returned home to North Fremantle.

On the 14th October 1922 he married Susan Murnane and son Lionel was born in 1924.

Walter's father died at the family home in Isidore Street North Fremantle on the 31st August 1931 though his mother lasted ten more years, dying on the 29th November 1941.

In 1925 Walter and the family moved to 63 Bracks street North Fremantle and was working as a locomotive fireman. (sadly 63 Bracks Street no longer exists)

In 1936 the family moved to 16 John street North Fremantle and he was still working as a locomotive fireman. They remained in John Street through to the 1950's when the family moved to Stock Road in Palmyra.

Walter died on the 1960 in Fremantle aged 69. He was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery.