1914 - 1919 Walter Harris

Military Service

1914 Walter Harris joins the regular army

The above form is part of Walter's application for an appointment to a temporary
commission in the regular army for the period of the war. It states he was educated at
Thornhill Road School and later Aylmer College, Baker Street. London.
Walter was also a Civil Service Cadet and a serjeant in the RAMC.
At the time of the outbreak of war he was employed in the Engineer in chief's
office of the General Post Office.

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Above is Walter's Territorial Force application from 1914.

1915-1917 service in Egypt

The above ducument shows Walter enlisted as a Private at Chelsea in Sept 1914. He
was promoted Corporal and embalked for Egypt spring 1915. He fought in the
Gallipolli Campaign and was promoted to sergeant upon his return to Egypt.
He was Gazetted 2/Lt 10th April 1917 when he was attached to the Egyptian
Labour Force.

Walter is shown above in his British Army Egyptian Labour Corps uniform.
He is shown with a colleague below visiting the Spinx near Cairo.

1918 Walter Harris joins the Royal Flying Corps

Walter left the Egyptian Labour Corps and joined No 3 School of Military Aeronautics at Heleopolis Cairo 6th Jan 1918. He then transferred to 57 Training Sqdn in March but unfortunately crashed his plane under instruction at Abu Sueir on 23rd April 1918. Two
examples of planes in use for training at that time are shown above.

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Walter's injuries were serious. He eventually returned to England and recuperated at the
newly formed RAF Auxilary Hospital at Shirley Park Croydon.

Following his recovery Walter was offered a job working for the British Embassy in Brussels.
Walter is pictured below in his RFC/RAF uniform which must be taken after his flying accident
as the photographer was in Norbury, close to Croydon where he recuperated.