Walter Gaymer
From Our Contribution
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| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth |
not known "not known" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. |
| Place of Birth | Perth, Western Australia |
| Death | 5 Oct 1964 |
| Place of Death | Victoria Park, Western Australia |
| Age at Enlistment | 38 years, 8 months |
| Description |
5'7" (1.70m) tall ; 133lbs 60.328 kg ; fresh complexion ; blue eyes ; light brown hair ; Tattoo of a ship and lighthouse on left arm |
| Occupation | Labourer |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Serpentine, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr. John Gaymer |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 6994 |
| Date of Enlistment | 12 Sep 1916 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation | 11th Battalion, 23rd Reinforcement / 3rd Brigade, 1st Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 23 Dec 1916 ‒ 16 Feb 1917 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A35 Berrima |
| Date of Return | 1 Jun 1919 ‒ 8 Jul 1919 |
| Ship Returned On | SS Somali |
| Fate | Returned to Australia |
| Monument | Serpentine Roll of Honour |
| Medals |
British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
War Service
At Blackboy Hill camp Walter was bounced about among the units then in camp, initially allocated to the 6th reinforcement draft for the 44th Battalion, only to have that changed nine days later to the 7th draft for the 5th Pioneer Battalion, and then another week later the 23rd draft for the 11th Battalion. Eventually he travelled with this draft to England, departing Fremantle aboard HMAT A35 Berrima on 23 Dec 1916, and disembarking in England on 16 Feb 1917 . On arrival in England he was sent to the 3rd Training Battalion at No 3 camp Perham Downs to complete his preparation for the front lines in France.
On 28 Jun 1917 he proceeded to France through Southampton, and was taken on strength of the 11th Battalion on 7 Jul 1917 which at that time was rebuilding at Ribemont. On 23 Feb 1918 John was granted leave in the UK, and paid for it, when on 14 Mar 1918 John was hospitalised with gonorrhoea. He presented first to the 1st Field Ambulance, before on 16 Mar 1918 attending the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station, who then sent him to the 39th General Hospital on 18 Mar 1918. His total period in medical care for Venereal Disease (considered ineffective service) was 63 days. On 13 May 1918 Walter was released from hospital, rejoining the battalion on 28 May 1918 at Villers-Bretonneux. The battalion's War Diary records that they were expecting an imminent enemy attack on their positions. He appears to have remained with the battalion until the cessation of hostilities.
Walter was charged on 27 Dec 1918 with having failed on 21 Dec 1918 to clean wagons when ordered to do so by an officer, his punishment was 7 days Field Punishment No 2. He was again granted leave in the UK, from 16 Feb 1919 until 2 Mar 1919, after which he returned to France until 24 Apr 1919 when he began the journey home via England. Following his return to Australia, Walter was discharged by the 5th Military District on 15 Aug 1919.
Post War
Electoral Roll entries - 1922 - 1925 at Mundijong a farmer; 1954 at 1 Eastbourne street Mosman Park; 1963 at 22 Berwick street, Victoria Park a pensioner. Does not appear to have married or had children.
Notes