WORLD WAR I
Bingham War Memorial
Service Record
| 234371 | Private Walter Kirk | Age 26 78th Battalion Canadian Infantry, Manitoba Regiment |
Born 1892 |
| Died 17/08/1918 of wounds sustained eight days earlier | Buried at Mont Huon Military cemetery, le Treport, France. | Grave ref V.N.10B | |
| War diary | The 78th Battalion , known as The Winnepeg Grenadiers, were
in action around Damery on 15-17th August. Click here to see orders for day. Unfortunately, the orders were issued in the evening. The diary entry for the 17th mentions only training exercises being carried out. |
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| War Diary | He was wounded in the throat during the advance between Boves and Hallu during the overall advance from Amiens. Between 8th and 19th August the battalion was involved in Operation Llandovery Castle, so named to commemorate the torpedoing of the Canadian Hospital Ship on the 27th June. A typed report of the whole operation which involved advancing through a number of villages beginning with Gentelles, 13 kilometres SE of Amiens, notes various actions on the way where Canadian soldiers were killed or wounded. His medical records suggest he was wounded on the 9th when 3 officers and another 5 other ranks were wounded. | ||
| 1916 | Walter enlisted in Winnipeg on 20 March 1916. See
here. Sailed from Halfax on SS Grampian 26th October 1916. Medical record card: GSW Throat admitted to Canadian General Hospital Le Treport (near Dieppe) on August 9th. Dangerously ill on 18th (sic) then corrected on another card to died 17th. During February and March 1917 he had three episodes of pneumonia and was hospitalised in UK and three weeks convalescence at home from March 13th. In March 1918 he was granted 2 weeks leave to UK. His soldier’s will stipulated that all his estate would be split equally between his sister Dorothy and brother Harold of The Banks, Bingham. They received Can$436.54 on 7/12/1918. |
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| CWGC | Son of James Prior Kirk and Lily Kirk, of Bingham, Notts. | ||
| Bingham Cemetery | He is remembered on his parents’ headstone in Bingham cemetery “also Walter, son, died of wounds France 17 Aug 1918 aged 26” | ||
Family history etc
| 234371 | Private Walter Kirk | ||
| 1892 | Born Bingham 11/07/1892 | ||
| Census 1901 |
Lived on The Banks, Bingham, with: Father: James Prior Kirk, b 1852 in Nottingham Mother: Lily, b 1866 in Uppingham Sisters: Margaret, b1890 Radcliffe Dorothy, b1891 Radcliffe. |
poet and author |
Lily and James P were cousins |
| March 1911 | The only W Kirk we can find on passenger lists to Canada who was not married is W Kirk who sailed from Liverpool to St John’s New Brunswick in March 1911 on the ‘Virginian’. He would have been 19. The census was taken on 2nd April. | ||
| Census 1911 | Walter not present. James Prior was a boarder at Well Street Ruthin Lily was a visitor to Williams family n Harpenden Present at The Banks: Margaret Dorothy Harold, b 1908, Bingham Also: Edith Mary Kirk, widow |
Author of novels Housekeeper |
Perhaps in search of background for a novel Student for teaching profession Caring for children in parents’ absence? |
| JP Kirk later lived at Lushai Cottage, Fisher Lane, Bingham | |||
| 1914 | Lily Kirk died | ||
| 1922 | James Prior Kirk died 19 December and is buried in Bingham Churchyard with his wife Lily (d 1914). The headstone also remembers Walter “died of wounds in France”. JPK’s son Harold is also buried here (1931). Buried nearby are JPK’s daughters Dorothy (d 1978) and Margaret (d 1946). | ||
| Enlistment papers | Walter lived in Beausejour, Manitoba, 46k north of Winnipeg | Farmer | |
