Ernest Walker enlisted in the 4th (Hallamshire) Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment on 27 July 1915 in Middlesbrough. At the time, he was 24 years old and working as a general labourer. He was assigned service number 4666 and described as 5 feet 6 inches tall with good physical development. Initially, he was posted to the 3/4th Battalion, which was responsible for providing drafts of replacements to the 1/4th Battalion serving in France. Ernest was not mobilised until March 1916, and after a period of training, he sailed from Folkestone to Boulogne on 14 July 1916.
Ernest was initially detached to the 2nd Entrenching Battalion, a unit formed at Corps level to provide manual labour for tasks such as trench repair, wire laying, road construction, and assisting tunnellers, pioneers, engineers, and signals units. In September 1917, he finally joined the Hallamshires, likely as part of a draft of 33 new men received on 13 September. At that time, the Battalion was stationed at Thiepval Wood on the Somme, having been fighting continuously for the ten weeks since the first day of the battle with the loss of some 750 men killed and wounded. Shortly after Ernest’s arrival, the Battalion moved to a quieter sector at Fonquevillers, where several drafts arrived over the following weeks to rebuild its strength.
On 9 October, the Hallamshires marched 15 miles to a camp near Sombrin, where they spent ten days undergoing intensive training, including drills and lectures by officers and NCOs. The Battalion, having lost many experienced men during the Somme battles, likely needed to train replacements like Ernest. By 21 October, they were stationed at Hébuterne, providing working parties for other units in the line, and at one point helped to repel a German raid.
Manning the trenches
The Hallamshires then entered a period typical of service on the Western Front, spending periods manning the line in a relatively quiet area before withdrawing into billets. While in the trenches they suffered sporadic artillery attacks and small raids, suffering a few casualties from enemy fire. Whilst in billets they rested, bathed, and trained in the practice trenches. From December 1916 to January 1917, the Battalion was stationed at Sus-Saint-Léger, well behind the front lines, where they undertook a full training programme, including competitions in shooting, drill, machine gun work, and football.
On 6 January, the Battalion returned to the line near Grosville, where they resumed the familiar cycle of trench duty and reserve periods. Severe winter weather, including frozen trenches and heavy snow, kept enemy activity to a minimum. During this time, Ernest suffered a bout of pleurisy, requiring two weeks of hospitalisation before returning to duty on 15 February. Shortly thereafter, the Battalion conducted a successful raid on the German trenches and captured 17 prisoners.
In early March 1917, the Hallamshires marched over 50 miles to the Neuve-Chapelle sector, north of Arras, where they spent four months alternating between trenches and reserve duty in this relatively quiet sector. During this time, several companies of Portuguese infantry were attached to gain instruction. The war diary noted that while the Portuguese soldiers appeared to be well trained, their officers “showed a lack of interest in their men” and “took no trouble to enforce discipline”.
Service in Belgium
On 13 July 1917, the routine was broken as the Battalion was ordered to entrain at Béthune and moved north to Dunkirk. They were transported by barge to Rosendaël and moved into the trenches at Lombardsijde near Nieuwpoort in Belgium.
The British had devised a plan for an amphibious landing along the Belgian coast near Nieuwpoort, intended to outflank German forces and link up with the planned Ypres Offensive (Third Battle of Ypres). However, the Germans had detected the preparations and pre-emptively launched an attack using devastating artillery and flamethrowers, forcing British defenders to retreat.
By the time that the Hallamshires arrived the fighting was mostly done. The remains of the trenches were in poor condition and offered the men little protection against the continued shelling. The German bombardments had for the first time included the use of mustard gas, which could kill by blistering the lungs and throat if inhaled in large quantities. Its effect on masked soldiers, however, was to produce terrible blisters all over the body as it soaked into their woollen uniforms. Contaminated uniforms had to be stripped off as fast as possible and washed – not exactly easy for men under attack on the front line. During their week in the line, the Battalion suffered 27 killed and 261 wounded, including 143 gas casualties.
The Battalion then assumed responsibility for the coastal defences between Nieuwpoort and Dunkirk, where they continued to suffer sporadic casualties. At the end of September, the Battalion moved south to Vlamertinge near Ypres in preparation for a forthcoming offensive.
Battle of Poelcappelle
As part of the ongoing Third Battle of Ypres, the British had in September successfully undertaken a series of small operations to gain ground. German commanders were considering a withdrawal from the Ypres Salient, and the British were keen to keep up the pressure. An offensive was planned to capture the village of Poelcappelle and the high ground of Passchendaele Ridge.
It was now October however, and bad weather had begun to turn the ground into a quagmire. The Hallamshire moved to their assembly positions on the night of the 8/9 October but slowed by driving rain the march took 11 hours, and they did not arrive until 4am. The war diary records that the men were “very tired and it was only with difficulty that they were roused before zero hour”.
The battle began just over an hour later, at 5.20am on 9 October. The exhausted troops launched their attack, the advance was hampered by mud, inadequate artillery support, and well-entrenched German defenders. In particular, the Hallamshires found that they had to wade through a waist-high stream while subjected to heavy machine gun fire. The Battalion’s war diary criticised the British bombardment and described the advance as facing “large numbers of waiting Germans.” Despite heavy fighting, gains were minimal and quickly lost to counterattacks. After 36 hours, the Battalion was relieved, having suffered 46 killed, 205 wounded, and 49 missing. Many survivors were incapacitated by trench foot.
The Hallamshires rested and reorganised at Winnezeele. During this period, Ernest sustained an accidental gunshot wound to his hand and knee, but it was evidently not serious for he returned to duty after a few days. On 18 October, a German air raid on their camp caused 50 casualties. The Battalion then returned to the line for a week before being withdrawn for an extended rest.
Capture
In November 1917, Ernest was granted leave to the UK but returned a day late, resulting in the forfeiture of two days’ pay. The Battalion moved into the line near Ypres on 25 November.
On 4 December the Battalion was ordered to send out a night patrol. Three companies made their way towards the enemy trenches and two returned without incident, but the third ran into trouble. The company of one officer and ten men encountered a hidden German machine gun position. After an exchange of fire, four men, including Ernest, were captured.
Ernest spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner, although there is no information available on where he was held. He was repatriated at the beginning of December 1918 and taken to the King George Hospital in London suffering from shortness of breath due ill-treatment. He was discharged from the Army on 30 March 1919.
The Second World War
Twenty years later war erupted between Britain and Germany once again. Despite being 48 years old at the time, Ernest enlisted in the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps (AMPC) on 15 January 1940 at High Wycombe Recruiting Centre. Later renamed the Pioneer Corps, it had been formed in September 1939 to undertake tasks such as building fortifications, clearing battlefields, repairing infrastructure, and unloading supplies. Ernest was assigned service number 13005946 and described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 128 pounds, with a dark complexion, grey-green eyes, and brown hair. He had a scar on his front right forearm. A medical examination deemed him fit for general service at home or sedentary service abroad.
In February 1940, Ernest joined 75 Company of the AMPC in France, part of the British Expeditionary Force. Little information is available on their movements, but we know that Ernest was evacuated on 18 June 1940 following the Allied military collapse in the Battle of France. By then Operation Dynamo, the evacuation at Dunkirk from 26 May to 3 June, had already rescued much of the fighting element of the BEF. However, more than 150,000 men on the lines-of-communication, base depots and other establishments were still in France. Operation Aerial followed, rescuing over 190,000 troops and civilians from ports in western France as German forces advanced. Ernest landed at Clacton-on-Sea and rejoined his unit at Risley Camp, Blackdown.
He later served in 125 Company at Bramley, 260 Company at the same location, and finally 184 Company at Shinfield. In September 1941, he was disciplined for being absent without leave for five days, receiving 14 days’ detention. In January 1944, Ernest attended a water duties course at the Army School of Hygiene. He was released from service in August 1945, concluding his military career.
Units
- 3/4th (Hallamshire) Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment (1915-1916)
- 2nd Entrenching Battalion (1916)
- 1/4th (Hallamshire) Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment (1916-1919)
- 75 Company, 7 Group, AMPC (1940)
- 125 Company, AMPC (1940-1941)
- 260 Company, Pioneer Corps (1941)
- 184 Company, Pioneer Corps (1941-1945)
Medals
See also
