Shep's Place Family Tree

Horace enlisted in the 27th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force on 9 December 1914. Because of his previous experience in the Naval Reserve he was promoted to Sergeant on 26 December when the battalion was in training at Warradale, SA. On 23 March 1915 he was promoted again to Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant.

The battalion embarked on the troopship "Geelong" on 31 March 1915 and sailed at first to Egypt and after training there for two months to Gallipoli. Horace served on Gallipoli until the end of that campaign and on 9 November he was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant. The batallion returned to Egypt until it sailed for France arriving at Marseilles on 26 March 1916 and after further training proceeded to Messines in Belgium and then to the front line.

Eight days later at 11.00am Horace and two fellow officers were hit by a high explosive shell-burst during an artilliary bombardment of the allied trenches, evidently in retaliation for a gas attack the previous night. The other two were killed. Horace, severely wounded, lay in a small hollow in the ruins of the trenches where he fell, with shells falling around him, until he could be dragged to safety after dark. His CO ‎(Colonel EW Dollman)‎ reported:
"one of Walker's legs was smashed and has since been amputated. The other was broken in three places and badly cut but might be saved if the poor fellow lives. I saw him on the stretcher as he left our lines. He was a ghastly colour but brave as a hero, but was worrying about the two others who had been killed. It has been a severe shock to lose three such good officers."

Horace was evacuated to 7 Stationary Hospital and was visited by Dollman, who was greetd by Walker: "I must apologise for not shaving today, Sir, but I am afraid that my razor got blown up with the rest of my gear." He was still there when his promotion to Lieutenant nine months earlier was gazetted, but soon afterwards he was transferred to Ridley War Hospital in London where he learned to walk with an artificial leg.

He was repatriated to Australia on the hospital ship "Kanowna" arriving home in Adelaide on 6 September 1917, and was discharged on 12 November with the 1914/15 Star, British War medal, Victory Medal and the Anzac Commemorative Medallion. When he left Adelaide he was about 185 cm tall with thick black hair but the loss of one leg and the shattering of the other reduced his height to about 180 cm and when he left hospital his hair was white.

Horace suffered more than most people realised from his injury. From time to time he had to enter hospital to have an operation on the stump of the leg he had lost or to have treatment on his "good" leg which had been broken in three places and which never completely healed. A walking stick made it possible for him to remain active but he was never without some discomfort.
In later years he was able to drive a specially adapted car with hand controls.

For services to the State of South Australia.