By Kevan Pipe

Allan Cyril Walker was born April 15, 1894 in Victoria, BC, son of James and Annie Walker. He had an older brother David and two younger sisters, Emely and Lydia.

The family moved to Ottawa and by the time of the 1901 census, was living at 151 Strathcona Avenue, about hallway between Bank Street and the Rideau Canal, and close to St. Matthew’s Church.

In 1913, he joined the Duke of Cornwall’s Own Rifles (#319923) and spent three years in the reserves. This is the same unit and general time period as fellow St. Matthew’s congregation member Glen Wilson, who was just a year older than Allan and who lived close by on First Avenue. It is likely that they were friends.

And just like Glen, Allan was a printer by trade. Perhaps he too worked at Mortimer’s Printing as Glen did?

On Feb 12, 1916, 21 year old Allan enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force and was assigned to the 5th Trench Mortar Battery, 5th Infantry Brigade, Second Canadian Division.

Following field training in Canada, his Battery was organized in Whitley, North Yorkshire in England in December 1916 under the command of Captain W. Abbott. Allan was promoted to Bombardier The 5th Trench Mortar Battery was comprised of both heavy and medium mortars.

His Battery was deployed to France in 1917 and proceeded to become involved in many of the major battles of the war, including Vimy Ridge. His Brigade and Battery was under the command of Brigadier-General Archibald Macdonell and following Vimy, the Canadian Second Division, including Bombardier Walker’s unit, then went on to the treacherous Battles of both Hill 70 and Passchendaele, the latter of which took place from July 31 to November 10, 1917.

Located in western Belgium near the French border, the battle was nicknamed ‘103 Days in Hell’ as a result of the horrible casualties incurred. In Passchendaele, both the British and Germans each incurred about 260,000 casualties (wounded and killed) within which Canadians accounted for about 15,600 men, 5,000 more than the Battle of Vimy Ridge just six months earlier. While Passchendaele was eventually captured by the Allies and the objectives of capturing the ridges both south and east of the nearby City of Ypres were achieved, thereby helping to break the flow of supplies to the German 4th army, the cost was overwhelming in terms of human life.

Following this, with winter now rapidly approaching, the western front settled into a nervous state of stalemate, waiting for spring weather to arrive in March so that major hostilities could once again commence. This period in the first quarter of 1918 was focused on raids across no mans’ land as well as artillery barrages, often times focused on these mortar units.

On February 6, 1918, Bombardier Allan Cyril Walker, of the 5th Trench Mortar Battery, 5th Infantry Brigade, Second Canadian Division and just 23 years young, was killed in action.

Allan Walker was buried in the Bully-Grenay Communal Cemetery, British Extension, in the Pas de Calais region in NW France, just north of the City of Arras. Opened in April 1916, from April 1917 until the end of the war, this cemetery was used primarily for Commonwealth Artillery units and those who were killed in this region.

Along with 802 other Commonwealth Servicemen killed in this Great War, Bombardier Allan Cyril Walker of Strathcona Avenue in Ottawa rests in this cemetery in France today. He is remembered at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in the Glebe.

Kevan Pipe is a Glebe resident and member of the St. Matthew’s Anglican Church Communications Committee.