Description

Offered is a Anzac Commemorative Medallion engraved named W. DENIS, housed in its original award case. Comes with copy service records, war diary extract, newspaper article, 1939 census and passenger manifest extract.

The name W. Denis is unique on the Australian National Archives.

Walter Allan Denis was born on 26/8/1878 at Ilfracombe, Devon, England. The 1901 census records him as still living in Ilfracombe, and on 8/6/1905, he emigrated to Australia.

A plumber by trade he enlisted into the A.I.F. on 19/1/1915 at Oakland South Australia and was assigned to the 4th reinforcements 12th Battalion (service # 1711). He departed Adelaide on 1/4/1915 bound for Egypt. He joined the 12th Battalion at Gallipoli on 16/6/1915 being posted to ‘C’ Company.

Perhaps because of his age (37), or as a skilled tradesman, he was transferred to the 3rd Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers (new service #478) at Anzac. He was evacuated to Malta sick with enteritis on 3/10/1915 – 7/12/1915 being returned to Egypt. He was sent to England in February 1916 remaining there until November 1916 when he was posted to France re-joining the 3rd Field Company (1st Division) on 9/12/1916.

On 9/10/1917 the Company was maintaining the advanced tramway between Dickebush and Ypres. At the time they were laying slated planks between the rails to allow mules to use the tramway. The Company lost 2 men killed and 2 wounded, Denis being one of the wounded receiving a gunshot wound to his back and arm and subsequently evacuated to England where he survived a bout of influenza before returning to France on 24/10/1918.

He was returned to Australia 18/4/1919 for discharge in South Australia 25/6/1919. At some stage he returned to Ilfracombe, where the 1939 census records him as retired, he died on 23/1/1960 in Devon.