Family :

Education & Career :

Attended preparatory school in Portinscale.

Attended Sherborne School (Abbeylands) September 1902-July 1907; 6th form. Took part in the 1905 Sherborne Pageant

Attended Emmanuel College, Cambridge; took Honours Degree in 1910; member of the Cambridge University Officers' Training Corps; and was the stroke of his College boat, and rowed at Henley Regatta in 1910.

Organising Secretary for the Great Scout Rally and Exhibition in Birmingham in 1913.

Member of the Cavendish Club (for social work).

Assistant master at Sherborne Preparatory School, Michaelmas term 1910- Lent term 1912.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Following a winter in the trenches the BEF was prepared to take the offensive against the Germans. The location was Neuve Chapelle, a small village in the front line below Aubers Ridge near Lille. Aubers Ridge was a low but significant hill and the intention at Neuve Chappell was to punch through the German front line, occupy the ridge and exploit with cavalry. It was a battle fought by two Corps of the BEF, the Indian Corps and IV Corps both largely consisting of regular battalions. It was to be preceded by the most violent artillery barrage of the war to date. Unfortunately in what was to be the start of the 'learning curve' for the BEF the artillery barrage, whilst violent, failed in some parts ? a failure that was to be costly and which delayed the assault and allowed the Germans to recover. Whilst the men were exceptionally brave they became bogged down as German machine guns and artillery stopped the momentum of the assault and by the end of the first day (10th March 1915) they were digging in. The following day the assault was repeated with fresh battalions but with no success. By the 12th March the Germans had recovered their poise, had brought in reserves and were ready to counter attack.

Neuve Chapelle (10-12 March 1915) was the first planned offensive battle by the BEF in France and achieved limited tactical success but not the expected breakthrough. It highlighted the problem of delay in execution that allowed the defending Germans to regroup, often consequent on small incidents and errors. Having stabilised the situation following the German sweep into France and the counter attack that eventually established static trench warfare on the western front, there was significant pressure on Britain to take a share of the burden from the French (who had without question had born the brunt of the fighting). Although the battle was effectively over by 12th March, the official battle nomenclature included actions in other sectors up to 22 April 1915 including the significant actions at St Eloi and at Hill 60 (Ypres).

Detail :

EDMUND BASIL WALKER 2nd LIEUTENANT, 1/ROYAL WEST KENT REGIMENT. Edmund Walker was the second son of the Rev George Sherbrook Walker, Rector of March. He was born Birmingham 8 Aug 1888 and educated at The Towers, Portinscale, Keswick; Sherborne School, and Emmanuel College Cambridge. Soon after leaving college went as a master to Sherborne Preparatory School. On 23 March. 1912, he was gazetted to 2nd Lieutenant, to the Dorsetshire Regt (Special Reserve), and after war broke out joined his regiment at the Front, afterwards transferring to the 1st Battalion Royal West Kents, and was given a commission in that regiment on 2nd Jan. 1915. He took part in the heavy fighting for Hill 60 near Ypres, and was killed in action there on the 18th April 1915. He was aged 26. He had been called upon to undertake the Senior Captain's duty and had volunteered for the post of danger with the machine guns on Hill 60. He was on the hill all through the awful night of Saturday 17th April when so many fell, and in early morning just as day was breaking they were relieved. They had left the ridge of the hill, when with his usual devotion to duty he suddenly said to a brother officer I'll follow in a minute, and turned back again, explaining that he wanted to make sure all was right for the relief. In doing this he was shot dead. Major Dunlop officer in command of the Battalion wrote: I found your son of great assistance to me as he was not only devoid of fear, but was an exceptionally keen officer and I am sure, would have made a great name for himself had he survived. Anyone who knew him could not help admiring him. An officer working with Lt Walker when he was killed wrote: on all sides I heard mention of his bravery. He stood on the top of the hill, directing operations and was actually handling the machine gun at the time he was shot in the throat and died instantly. He had volunteered for the post of danger. Lieut. Walker was mentioned in Field Marshal Sir John French's Despatch of 5th April 1915. He was in the O.T.C. at both Sherborne and Cambridge, and after his two years of teaching spent a year in promoting Boy Scout work, and was organising secretary to the Great Rally at Birmingham in 1913.

Citations & Commemorations :

Masonic :

On 9 January 1911, E.B. Walker of Acreman House, Sherborne, was initiated into the Old Shirburnian Lodge.

At a meeting of the Old Shirburnian Lodge held on 13 July 1919, W.Bro. Colonel William Watts proposed that a small tablet be placed in the School Chapel in memory of two Lodge members who had lost their lives in the First World War, Francis Colin Staley and Edmund Basil Walker.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley