Lt
Walter Harry Buncombe
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 07/09/1885 |
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Place of birth: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
General information
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Last known residence: Netherway, North Quay, Brisbane, Australia |
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Profession: Business Manager |
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Religion: Church of England |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Lieutenant |
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Service number: - |
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Enlistment date: 01/01/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 47th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Nieuwemolen, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 32 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: LXV Row: A Grave: 4 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Walter Harry Buncombe was born in Sydney New South Wales on September 7, 1885, the son of Richard Kent Buncombe and Alice Buncombe. He enlisted on January 1, 1916 and already had some shooting experience having been a member of the Brisbane Sportsman Rifle Club. Walter briefly joined the 36th and 42nd Bn. but then joined the 47th Bn. Australian Infantry, part of the 12th Australian Brigade, 4th Australian Division. On 18 May 1916 he obtained the rank of Second Lieutenant and on 19 September 1916 he left the Australian mainland. He arrived in France on April 26, 1917, where a promotion to Lieutenant followed on July 12, 1917.
On October 12, 1917, the 4th Australian Division participated in the First Battle of Passchendaele, part of the Third Battle of Ypres which had been in progress since July 31, 1917. The objective of the 4th Australian Division was to advance over the Broodseinde Ridge to Keiberg Spur to flank the 3rd Division which was advancing north of the railroad towards Passchendaele. The 47th Battalion was given the task of capturing and holding the red line. This ran roughly from the railroad embankment to Assyria. Then the 48th Battalion would continue the attack. After advancing some 150 yards, Walter was hit by a shell and killed.
The attack faced immediate setbacks. The soldiers were tired from marching through the mud. The battalion headquarters, located in a bunker on the Broodseinde ridge, was also hit. Nearly all the signalmen and couriers had become casualties, making further communications more difficult. The Germans retreated, but once the 48th Battalion advanced, they faced heavy German fire from Vienna Cottage. This was in the 3rd Division's sector, but heavy resistance had prevented them from advancing. The German position at Vienna Cottage was eliminated, but finally, due to lack of support, 47th and 48th Battalions had to retreat to their starting positions. Both battalions lost a total of nearly 1,000 soldiers.
One of them was Walter. Major Denis Hannay described him as ' A splendid type of officer, one of the best in the battalion.' He was buried about 100 yards from Nieuwemolen, according to the Red Cross Files. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial sheet, however, seems to indicate a location closer to the railroad embankment. Regardless, currently Walter Harry Buncombe rests at Tyne Cot Cemetery. He was 33 years old.
On October 12, 1917, the 4th Australian Division participated in the First Battle of Passchendaele, part of the Third Battle of Ypres which had been in progress since July 31, 1917. The objective of the 4th Australian Division was to advance over the Broodseinde Ridge to Keiberg Spur to flank the 3rd Division which was advancing north of the railroad towards Passchendaele. The 47th Battalion was given the task of capturing and holding the red line. This ran roughly from the railroad embankment to Assyria. Then the 48th Battalion would continue the attack. After advancing some 150 yards, Walter was hit by a shell and killed.
The attack faced immediate setbacks. The soldiers were tired from marching through the mud. The battalion headquarters, located in a bunker on the Broodseinde ridge, was also hit. Nearly all the signalmen and couriers had become casualties, making further communications more difficult. The Germans retreated, but once the 48th Battalion advanced, they faced heavy German fire from Vienna Cottage. This was in the 3rd Division's sector, but heavy resistance had prevented them from advancing. The German position at Vienna Cottage was eliminated, but finally, due to lack of support, 47th and 48th Battalions had to retreat to their starting positions. Both battalions lost a total of nearly 1,000 soldiers.
One of them was Walter. Major Denis Hannay described him as ' A splendid type of officer, one of the best in the battalion.' He was buried about 100 yards from Nieuwemolen, according to the Red Cross Files. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial sheet, however, seems to indicate a location closer to the railroad embankment. Regardless, currently Walter Harry Buncombe rests at Tyne Cot Cemetery. He was 33 years old.
Sources 5
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(2018). Portrait of Lieutenant W.H.H. Buncombe, photographed in The Australasian Traveller, 3 June 1916. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. http://trove.nla.gov.au Sources used |
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Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), RCDIG1064166). https://www.awm.gov.au Sources used |
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Deayton, Craig , Battle Scarred: the 47th Battalion in the First World War (Newport Big Sky publishing Ltd, 2011).156-188. Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, Buncombe, Walther Harry). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/ Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 2018), 129-132. Sources used |
More information 4
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/462124 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=ba98e2ba-3a4d-4ad9-9563-33a5244da6b1 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7374920 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=38713 |