Private Walter Tappin

Walter Tappin was born to parents Walter (snr) and Amelia nee Bodfish. His parents had married on 27 Feb 1892 at Holy Trinity Church Upper Tooting. Their first child, Emily was born in 1894, followed by Walter and twin brother John in 1896. The twins were baptized on 06 August that same year, at Holy Trinity Church.. The family address at this time was Fountain Terrace, in Tooting.

The following year, Walter's twin brother John died, aged one.

By 1901 Walter and his sister Emily had two other siblings: Lillian and Mildred. The family were still living at 19 Fountain Terrace. Two further children followed: Gertrude in 1903 and Ernest in 1906.

By 1911 the family were still at the same address. Walter’s father was a foreman for the Metropolitan Water Board. Emily aged 17 was working as a general servant and Walter aged 14 was employed as an Errand Boy. The other four children were all still at school.

On 31st March 1915 Walter aged 18, along with a group of local lads/friends all travelled to Diss in Norfolk to enlist with the Welsh Horse Battalion. Walter was given service number 1122, (John Soane 1121, John Burke 1123, Charles Bodset 1124 and Sidney Carpenter 1125). Upon enlisting they all gave their occupations as Porter, and all declared to be aged 19. (They would have had to be nineteen years of age to qualify for overseas service). Walter was described as being 5ft 6in tall, weighing 10 stone with a chest measurement of 36 inches.

The Welsh Horse Regiment sailed from Liverpool on board SS Olympic on 23rd September 1915, arriving at Mudros port on the Greek island of Lemnos on 8th October.

The new recruits were then given the task of digging trenches and mines under the Turkish positions. Although there were no major attacks at this time, the Welsh Horse lost men who were either killed or wounded by the Turks or suffered from sickness due to the awful conditions in Gallipoli. Sickness, especially dysentery, was rife, and this accounted for many deaths.

On 16th December 1916 Walter was transferred to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers D Company 25th (Montgomeryshire and Welsh Horse Yeomanry) Battalion and given the service number 355825.

(The 1/1st Welsh Horse was a yeomanry regiment formed in 1914 that served in the Dardanelles, Egypt, and Palestine, eventually amalgamating in 1917 with the 1/1st Montgomeryshire Yeomanry to become the 25th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers.) This new Battalion Fought in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, taking part in the second Battle of Gaza in April 1917 and the Capture of Jerusalem in December of that year.

Walter Tappin died in Palestine on 9th March 1918 and is buried in Jerusalem war cemetery. His name is also one of the 587 names that appear on the Mitcham War Memorial along with his friend John Soane.

By the end of the war Walter’s family had moved to 14 Southview, Benedict Road in Mitcham.