Sapper Walter Brunning

Walter was born in Wanford or Brandon in Suffolk in 1878. His father Thomas was a Shepherd. According to the 1881 Census, Thomas and his wife Harriet had six children. Rose aged 12, Thomas 10, Mary 7, Frances 2, Daniel 2 months, and Walter who was aged 4. Their address as recorded on the Census was ‘In The Street’, Eriswell. Presumably this was the main or only street in the village. The family were still at the same address ten years later, but only the three youngest children were still living at home. Walter had followed in his father’s footsteps and was employed as a Shepherd’s Help.

There is no record of Walter on the 1901 Census, but Walter moves south and meets Ethel Anna Welch. The couple marry on 5 April 1903 at St Philip the Apostle Church, Camberwell. Walter was living at Avondale Square, Southwark, while Ethel was living nearby in Glengall Road. Walter was employed as a Whitesmith, working on lighter metals such as tin.

By 1911 the couple had moved to Colliers Wood, and lived at 2 Boundary Road. Walter had changed occupations, and was now employed as a Bricklayer. The couple now had a young family. The children were Ethel 5, Elsie 3 and Josephine aged 1. In 1915 their son Edward Thomas was born.

During the First War, Walter enlists in London with the Royal Engineers as a Sapper with the 520th Field Company with the Service No. 2869. It is likely that he enlisted early on in the war in 1914, but did not see active service abroad until after 1915, as he was not entitled to the 1914 -1915 Star Medal, which was only given to combatants who had seen active service on the front in 1914/15.

In 1917 the 520th Field Company were stationed at Dickiebusch Camp near Ypres, Belgium. According to their War Diary, on 16 April, two sections of sappers were working on the Advanced Dressing Station and Brigade Headquarters situated at Woodcote House (originally called Chateau Rosendale). Advanced Dressing Stations were collection points for the wounded, where the injured were initially treated before being passed on to Casualty Clearing Stations. The ADS’s were usually up to a half a mile from the front line, and usually out of range of shelling. They were often situated in large abandoned buildings, churches, schools or even tents. The Sapper’s main role was to dig trenches and tunnels and mend roads. This could be dangerous work as they were often in the first line before the troops moved in.

The War Diary entry for that day states that “one sapper killed by shell fire at Woodcote Farm”. It is likely that this was Walter, as he was killed on that day. Walter is buried at Bedford House Cemetery, which is situated near to Woodcote House. His headstone reads “Gone from us now, but not forgotten”. He is also commemorated locally on the Mitcham War Memorial.