WWI British War Medal. Walker. The Queens (Royal West Surrey). Sittingbourne, Kent. Served Gallipoli and France. Gunshot wounding to back.

Correctly named T3017 Pte F Walker The Queens

Frank was born in 1890 and papers have his next of kin living in Thursley near Godalming, Surrey. An address found for him is noted as 39 Eastbourne Street, Sittingbourne, Kent.

He enlisted in August 1914 and was sent overseas with the 2/4Bn Queens (Royal West Surreys) to the Balkan Theatre in July 1915. He landed at Suvla Bay on the 22nd of October 1915.

We see that after the evacuation of Gallipoli, Franks is still with the 2/4Bn up until January 1917 when he is attached to 160th Machine Gun Corps.

Fighting still in that theatre, we have in Taranto, Italy in June 1918 when shortly after he returns to the UK for 2 weeks leave in the August.

He rejoins his Battalion, the 2/4th in France in Boulogne where is receives a gunshot wounding to his back. The Battalion were in the line west of Ghelune after relieving the 10th Battalion Queens Regiment on the 6th of October 1918.

We see he was living at 10 Prince Street in Sittingbourne in 1921 and records tell us he is now married to Louie Austin and working as a barge-mate for Smeed Dean & Co.

He is still at the same address in 1939 and is now working as a refuse collector for the District Council as well as being a serving member of the ARP.

He is entitled to a 1915 Star Trio.

The medal has a modern replacement ribbon.