King Edward’s School and the Great War

Memorial Roll of Honour 1914 - 1918

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Walker, Horace John

Private ▪ 15th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment

Horace John Walker, born on 5th May 1896, was admitted to King Edward’s School in January 1911, having transferred from Handsworth Grammar School. He was at the School for less than a year, leaving in December. He was the youngest of five children and whilst at KES he lived with his father, Henry, an insurance superintendent, his mother, Rose, and one of his older brothers, Harold, at ‘Laburnum House’, 33 Stamford Road, Handsworth.

Horace was in the Modern School, studying a primarily scientific, rather than classical, curriculum. Although his overall performance was below average, he performed relatively well in drawing, coming 6th out of 20. He does not feature in the School Chronicles, though this is not surprising as he was at School for such a short period.

In 1914, at the outbreak of war, Horace enlisted as a Private Soldier with the 14th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, landing at Boulogne on the 21st November 1915 with the other three city battalions. He transferred to the 15th Battalion, RWR, before his death from wounds sustained on 4th August 1916. Horace was twenty years old. He was buried at St. Pierre Cemetery, Amiens, and at the request of his father, the inscription on his gravestone reads: “He died that we might live”.