Category: Military
Rank: Able Seaman
Regiment or Ship: Royal Naval Division
Service Number(s): Z/63
Occupation: Postman
Date of Birth: 19.03.1895
Place of Birth: Bexhill on Sea, Sussex.
Date of Death: 1982
Place of Death: Hastings and Rother registration district
Address: 83 Windsor Road, Bexhill
Photos and newspaper articles
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Family Information
Parents: Walter West Gwynne (1866-1958) and Jessie Comerford Gwynne – nee Finch – (1869-1961).
Siblings:
Dorothy Gwynne, b. 1893 in Bexhill.
Frank Gwynne, b. 1902 in Bexhill. B0007 GWYNNE Frank
Walter West Gwynne was also a postman and when he died on 21st September 1958 at the St. Helens Hospital he left £556-0-5d to his widow, Jessie Comerford Gwynne.
Spouse:
Walter married twice – the first time to Ida May Phillips (1885-1953). They married on 26th February 1921 at St. George’s Church, Beckenham, Kent. As far as the researcher can tell Walter and Ida had three children.
After Ida’s death Walter married Rosamund Mary Hardisty on 20th June 1956 in Coventry.
First World War Experience
Due to Walter’s expertise as a diarist we know quite a bit about his war service but first a little something about him personally.
He enlisted on 16th September 1914. He was 6’ tall, with a fair complexion, dark brown hair, blue eyes, and had a 34” chest – expansion 2”. He was a member of the Church of England, gave his next of kin as his father, W. Gwynne of 83 Windsor Road, and stated that he was a postman and could swim.
On 2nd November 1914 he joined the ‘Howe’ Battalion at Portland. He was wounded near the Dardanelles on or about 19th June 1915 and sent home to the Chatham Hospital with bullet wounds to his right arm, and shell wounds to his back. His wounds were serious but his condition was regarded as ‘satisfactory’. On 27th September 1915 he was discharged from hospital ‘to duty’ but was hospitalized again on 16th January 1916.
It was decided on 27th January 1916 that he was ‘Unserviceable’ as he was suffering from multiple shrapnel wounds in action and he was discharged from the Services. On 27th February 1919 he was paid £7-10-0d. He was awarded the 15 Star.
Walter kept a detailed diary and excerpts of these appeared in two of the local newspapers.