Walter James Gibbs

Submitted by Mt Kembla Minin... on Tue, 16/05/2017 - 11:31

First Name:

Walter

Middle Name:

James

Last Name:

Gibbs

Mother's Name:

Jane Gibbs

Father's Name:

James Gibbs

Date Enlisted:

Tuesday, November 23, 1915

Rank at Enlistment:

Private

Rank at Discharge:

Private

Unit:

4th Battalion

Service:

Infantry

Awards:

British War Medal

Victory Medal

Date of Death:

Friday, May 16, 1947

Place of Death:

Clifton, N.S.W.

Cause of Death:

Stroke

Details:

Walter Gibbs (Service No 6124) was born in Brecon, Wales around 1874.

At enlistment Walter was single, 39 years old, worked as a miner and lived at Clifton, N.S.W. He nominated his sister who still lived in Wales as his next of kin. He embarked from Sydney on HMAT A18 Wiltshire with 4th Battaion, 19th Reinforcement on 22nd August 1916. The troops arrived in England on 12th October 1916 and Walter joined 4th Battalion in France on 24th February 1917.

Walter saw service on the Western Front until he was wounded in action on 15th April 1917 and evacuated to hospital in England for treatment of severe gun shot wounds to his right elbow. He was also suffering from trench fever.

In August 1917 he was repatriated to Australia and discharged medically unfit from the AIF on 27th October 1917.

Walter's obituary advised that he had never married and had no family in Australia. He had been admitted to Clifton hospital after have suffered a stroke a week earlier and had not regained consciousness.

Walter is buried in Scarborough Cemetery in N.S.W.

Sources:

NAA: B2455, GIBBS W