Walter William Hardiman (1883 - 1915)

Ancestors

Biography

Private Walter William Hardiman was a British soldier who made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War.

Born in Stourport, Worcestershire in 1883 to Harry Hardiman and Elizabeth Garbett, Walter was one of nine children raised in a family reliant upon the carpet manufacturing industry for its livelihood.^[1][2][3]

As a teenager, Walter also found employment in a carpet mill,^[3] but eventually became a labourer within the railways system.^[4]

Walter married Sabra Millward in late 1913 in the district of Stourbridge.^[5] They had one son, Walter Leslie, born on 17th December 1914.^[6][7]

When the Great War broke out, Walter enlisted with the military and served with the Worcestershire Regiment, 3rd Battalion.^[8] On 23rd November 1914, the Birmingham Post reported that Walter was listed as missing on 6th October.^[9] It isn't known when Walter was reunited with his unit, but it is unlikely that he ever met his son.

On 12th March 1915, Walter and his regiment marched from the village of Locre, about two miles west of the village of Kimmel, in Flanders, Belgium, commencing at 2:30 am, and occupied trenches west of the hamlet of Spanbroekmolen, as they prepared to assault the German trenches at Spanbroekmolen. The plan was for two companies of the Worcestershire regiment to attack from the right and two companies of the Wiltshire regiment to attach from the left. An artillery bombardment of the German trenches was scheduled to commence at 7:00 am, with the infantry assault to follow at 8:40 am, however it was postponed due to fog. Instead the artillery assault commenced at 2:30 pm and the infantry assault commenced at 4:10 pm. As the infantry left their trenches, they came under heavy rifle and machine gun fire, and suffered many casualties. Despite this, a party of about 40 men managed to occupy a portion of the German trenches. Unfortunately, during the assault, the regiment's own artillery dropped high explosive on them, killing more men and scattering the remainder. The party that reached the German trench attacked each end and held on for over three hours, until ordered to withdraw under cover of darkness. They were successful in bringing all the wounded British soldiers from the German trench and returned to Locre,^[10] except Walter was not with them. Somewhere in the midst of this horror, Walter was killed in action.^[8]

Walter is memorialised at the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial, Panel 34, in West-Vlaanderen, Belgium^[11][12] and in Kidderminster, Worcestershire.^[13]

As a soldier who fought overseas in a theatre of war in 1914 and 1915, Walter was eligible to receive the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. These would have been awarded to his next of kin.

1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

Walter's brother Alfred was also killed in the Great War, on 6th August 1915 at Gallipoli, Turkey.^[14]

Census Data

1891 - Fair Street, Kidderminster, Worcestershire^[2]

• Harry Hardiman, head, married, male, 32, occupation: carpet weaver, born: Kidderminster
• Elizabeth Hardiman, wife, married, female, 28, born: Hartlebury, Worcestershire
• George Garbett, son, male, 9, scholar, born: Hartlebury, Worcestershire
• Walter Hardiman, son, male, 7, scholar, born: Stourport, Worcestershire
• Mary Hardiman, daughter, female, 5, scholar, born: Stourport, Worcestershire
• Eliza Hardiman, daughter, female, 3, scholar, born: Stone, Worcestershire

1901 - 19 East Street, Kidderminster, Worcestershire^[3]

• E. Hardiman, head, married, female, 38y, occupation: housewife, born: Stourport, Worcestershire
• Walter Hardiman, son, male, 17y, occupation: laborer carpet mill, born: Stourport, Worcestershire
• Mary Hardiman, daughter, female, 15y, occupation: spinner carpet mill, born: Stourport, Worcestershire
• Eliza Hardiman, daughter, female, 13y, occupation: spinner carpet mill, born: Kidderminster, Worcestershire
• Alfred Hardiman, son, male, 8y, scholar, born: Kidderminster, Worcestershire
• Florence Hardiman, daughter, female, 5y, scholar, born: Kidderminster, Worcestershire

1911 - 2 Bott Lane, Lye, Worcestershire^[15]

• Walter W. Hardiman, boarder, unmarried, male, 27y, occupation: laborer goods station, born: Stourport, Worcestershire

Sources

1. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 3 Aug 2020), database entry for Hardiman, Walter William (Mother's maiden name: Garbett), GRO Reference: 1883 June Quarter in Kidderminster, Volume 06C Page 267.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7T8J-SZM : accessed 3 Aug 2020), Walter Hardiman in household of Harry Hardiman, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 12, Worcestershire county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey. Free Ancestry Image
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XSSK-LVM : 21 May 2019), Walter Hardiman in household of E Hardiman, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing Kidderminster subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey. Free Ancestry Image
4. ↑ Britain, Trade Union Membership Registers (FindMyPast, http://www.findmypast.com ; accessed 30 Aug 2020), database entry for Hardiman, Walter (Admission Date: 1913, Age: 29, Occupation: labourer, Trade: Railway Workers, Union: National Union of Railwaymen, Branch: Stourbridge, Archive: Modern Records Centre, Archive Reference: MSS.127/NU/OR/2/33, Page: 252, Title: General Register).
5. ↑ "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26C2-WF8 : 22 May 2014), Walter W Hardiman and null, 1913; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1913, quarter 4, vol. 6C, p. 89, Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
6. ↑ England & Wales General Register Office, GRO Online Index - Birth (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content : accessed 30 Aug 2020), database entry for Hardiman, Walter Leslie (Mother's maiden name: Millward), GRO Reference: 1915 March Quarter in Stourbridge, Volume 06C Page 45.
7. ↑ The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: RG 101/5796E. (Ancestry.com. 1939 England and Wales Register [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018., accessed 30 Aug 2020, Free Ancestry Image).
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} British and Irish Military Databases. The Naval and Military Press Ltd. (Military-Genealogy.com, comp. UK, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008; accessed 30 Aug 2020, Ancestry Record 1543 #433454 (requires subscription), database entry for Hardiman, Walter William (Birthplace: Upper Milton, Worcestershire, Residence: Stourbridge, Worcestershire, Death Date: 12 Mar 1915, Death Place: France and Flanders, Enlistment Place: Kidderminster, Rank: Private, Regiment: Worcestershire Regiment, Battalion: 3rd Battalion, Regimental Number: 7486, Type of Casualty: Killed in action, Theatre: Western European Theatre).
9. ↑ Birmingham Daily Post, Warwickshire, England. 23 Nov 1914. Page 5. Column 2. (British Newspaper Archive, List of Missing Soldiers, accessed 30 Aug 2020.)
10. ↑ The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; First World War and Army of Occupation War Diaries; Class: WO 95; Item: 3. (Ancestry.com. UK, World War I War Diaries (France, Belgium and Germany), 1914-1920 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015., accessed 30 Aug 2020), diary for Worcestershire Regiment (Sub Unit: 3rd Battalion, Diary Entry Start Date: Mar 1915, Diary Entry End Date: 12 Mar 1915, Diary Entry Location: Kemmel (Lindenhoek), Piece Description: Piece 1415/3: 3 Battalion Worcestershire Regiment (1914 Aug - 1915 Oct), Piece Number: 1415, Free Ancestry Image 1, Image 2, Image 3).
11. ↑ Commonwealth War Graves Commission (https://www.cwgc.org/; accessed 30 Aug 2020). Database entry for Hardiman, Walter William (Rank: Private, Service Number: 8746, Regiment: Worcestershire Regiment 3rd Bn., Date of Death: 12 March 1915, Country of Service: United Kingdom).
12. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12050722/walter-william-hardiman: accessed 21 September 2022), memorial page for Private Walter William Hardiman (unknown–12 Mar 1915), Find A Grave: Memorial #12050722, citing Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres (Ieper), Arrondissement Ieper, West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), Belgium; Maintained by: Find a Grave .
13. ↑ War Memorials Register, Kidderminster, accessed 30 Aug 2020.
14. ↑ Commonwealth War Graves Commission (https://www.cwgc.org/; accessed 30 Aug 2020). Database entry for Hardiman, Alfred Edward (Rank: Lance Corporal, Service Number: 11789, Regiment: Worcestershire Regiment 4th Bn., Date of Death: 6 Aug 1915, Country of Service: United Kingdom).
15. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7YR-P1B : accessed 30 Aug 2020), Walter W Hardiman in household of William Hart, Lye, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.