War Memorial Hall c1929
Walter VINCENT
Walter Vincent was born on 10 May 1899 in Williamstown, Victoria. His parents were Walter George and Elizabeth Mary (née Lamont) Vincent. He attended Scotch from 1914 to 1916.
Walter was a clerk when he enlisted on 5 June 1917 in Melbourne, Victoria. He served in the 23rd Battalion with the rank of Private. His Regimental Number was 6965.
Walter died on 1 September 1918 at Mont St Quentin, France. He was 19 years of age.
Service record
William enlisted in the AIF (even though before the war he had done naval training) at age 18. His parents gave their permission (see below). He was briefly allotted from Broadmeadows to a trench mortar battery at Seymour before returning to Broadmeadows and training with the 20th Reinforcements to the 23rd Battalion in September 1917. They embarked at Melbourne on 21 November 1917.
After landing at Suez they were transported to Taranto in Italy, and then on to Southampton, where they landed on 23 January 1918. William was then reverted to Private in accordance with standard practice. On 20 April he reached the 23rd Battalion in France. He was killed in action at Mont St Quentin, France, aged just 19.
His mother, Mary, arranged for these words to be engraved on his headstone: ‘Nearer My God To Thee’. Before his death he reportedly saw one of his brothers, probably Dudley, in the field in France. His brothers and fellow Old Scotch Collegians Garnet, Oscar and Dudley also served in the AIF.
Walter Vincent is buried in the Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension (Plot V, Row A, Grave No. II), France.
Photographs and Documents:
Permission for Walter to enlist. Within a year, in April 1918, Walter’s father would be dead and by September so would Walter.
This anonymous poem, dedicated to Walter Vincent, appeared in the May 1921 issue of The Scotch Collegian.
Sources:
- Australian War Memorial – Roll of Honour
- Mishura Scotch Database
- National Archives of Australia – B2455, VINCENT WALTER
- Scotch Collegian 1918 and 1921
- The AIF Project - https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=309209
