Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"JAMES HENRY WALLWORK"

Date Range From

1919

Date Range To

1929

Materials

GRANITE

No. Pieces

1

Length

38.5

Width

15

Description

GRANITE UPRIGHT GRAVE MARKER, GREY WITH BLACK FLECKS; BASE OF MARKER IS STAINED BROWN AND WHITE. MARKER IS RECTANGULAR WITH ROUNDED TOP AND JAGGED/BROKEN BASE. FRONT OF MARKER HAS ENGRAVED CIRCLE AT TOP WITH CARVED MAPLE LEAF IN CENTER; TEXT ENGRAVED BELOW CIRCLE READS “331862 GUNNER, JAMES H. WALLWORK, C.F.A. C.E.F., 22ND APRIL 1919”; MARKER HAS CROSS ENGRAVED BELOW TEXT. TEXT AND ENGRAVINGS SEVERELY WORN AND ERODED; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

FUNERARY OBJECT

Historical Association

COMMEMORATIVE

MILITARY

History

THE GRAVE MARKER FOR GUNNER JAMES H. WALLWORK WAS GRANTED ON TEMPORARY LOAN BY KIND PERMISSION OF THE COMMONWEALTH GRAVES WAR COMMISSION IN JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016. THE GRAVE MARKER, OWNED BY THE COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION, WAS PREVIOUSLY LOCATED IN LETHBRIDGE’S MOUNTAIN VIEW CEMETERY AND WAS SCHEDULED FOR REPLACEMENT IN 2015. UPON THE GRAVE MARKER’S REPLACEMENT, IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY REQUESTED BY THE GALT MUSEUM. ACCORDING TO HIS SERVICE FILE, JAMES HENRY WALLWORK WAS BORN IN RADCLIFFE, ENGLAND ON MAY 23, 1881 TO JAMES AND HARRIET WALLWORK. JAMES HENRY WALLWORK IMMIGRATED TO CANADA AND RESIDED IN LETHBRIDGE WITH HIS WIFE, ANNIE, AND DAUGHTER, WINNIFRED, WORKING AS A FURNACE MAN AT THE TIME OF HIS ENLISTMENT. GUNNER JAMES H. WALLWORK ENLISTED WITH THE 61ST BATTERY, 15TH BRIGADE, CANADIAN FIELD ARTILLERY, C.E.F. ON APRIL 11, 1916. ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD IN 1916 DETAILED THE FORMATION OF THE 61ST BATTERY, WITH RECRUITMENT BEGINNING APRIL 3, 1916 IN LETHBRIDGE. THE 61ST BATTERY WAS FORMED UNDER THE 15TH ARTILLERY BRIGADE. UNDER CAPTAIN COLLIN H. COLLINSON, THE 61ST CLOSED RECRUITMENT IN MAY AND REMAINED STATIONED AT BARRACKS AT HENDERSON PARK UNTIL LEAVING LETHBRIDGE MAY 27-29, 1916 FOR TRAINING IN PETAWAWA, ONTARIO. THE 61ST BATTERY WAS THE THIRD COMPLETE BATTERY TO BE RECRUITED AND LEAVE FROM LETHBRIDGE DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR. UPON LEAVING FOR ENGLAND, CAPTAIN COLLINSON WAS COMMANDING OFFICER FOR THE 61ST BATTERY, AND COLONEL OGILVIE WAS COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE 15TH ARTILLERY BRIGADE. THE 61ST BATTERY PROCEEDED FROM PETAWAWA TO WITLEY CAMP, SURREY, ENGLAND IN 1916. ACCORDING TO THE WAR DIARIES OF THE 14TH BRIGADE CANADIAN FIELD ARTILLERY, AVAILABLE THROUGH THE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES OF CANADA, AT WITLEY CAMP THE 15TH BRIGADE OF THE CANADIAN FIELD ARTILLERY WAS REORGANIZED “…WITH TWO BATTERIES AND HALF THE 14TH COMBINED AND CALLED LEFT GROUP 4TH C.D.A…TWO DAYS AFTER WERE THE 14TH [BRIGADE C.F.A.].” ON AUGUST 22ND, 1917, THE 14TH BRIGADE ARRIVED IN FRANCE. THE 14TH BRIGADE PROCEEDED TO CARENCY, FRANCE IN SEPTEMBER 1917, SETTING UP WAGON LINES ON SEPTEMBER 4-5, 1916. THE 61ST BATTERY OPERATED IN NORTHERN FRANCE IN 1918 UNTIL THE ARMISTICE AND RETURNING TO CANADA. LIEUTENANT ABNER GLADSTONE VIRTUE OF LETHBRIDGE SERVED WITH THE 61ST BATTERY AND REMAINED WITH THE BATTERY THROUGH ITS DEMOBILIZATION. WALLWORK’S MILITARY SERVICE FILE, ACCESSED THROUGH THE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES OF CANADA, INDICATES THAT HE RETURNED TO CANADA ON JANUARY 17, 1919 AND WAS DISCHARGED ON FEBRUARY 24, 1919 FOR “DEMOBILIZATION” AND BEING MEDICALLY UNFIT. MEDICAL RECORDS IN HIS SERVICE FILE INDICATE THAT WALLWORK SUFFERED FROM MYALGIA UPON HIS DISCHARGE. WALLWORK RETURNED TO CANADA, AND ON APRIL 22, 1919 DIED “AFTER BEING REMOVED FROM THE AMBULANCE IN WHICH HE WAS CONVEYED TO THE GALT HOSPITAL,” AS STATED IN A LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLE FROM APRIL 23, 1919. A PREVIOUS ITERATION OF ITS WEBSITE NOTES THAT THE COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION [CWGC] WAS CONTRACTED IN 2003 BY VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA TO “PLAN AND DEVELOP A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO LOCATE GRAVE MARKERS FOR WHICH THE MINISTER OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HAS RESPONSIBILITY…IN 2011, AN M.O.U. [MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING] WAS SIGNED BETWEEN VAC [VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA] AND THE CWGC TO CONDUCT A TWELVE-YEAR CYCLICAL INSPECTION PROGRAMME OF VETERANS’ MARKERS INSTALLED AT THE EXPENSE OF CANADA.” ON ITS CURRENT WEBSITE, THE CWGC NOTES, “THE COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION (CWGC) HONOURS THE 1.7 MILLION MEN AND WOMEN WHO DIED IN THE ARMED FORCES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE DURING THE FIRST AND SECOND WORLD WARS, AND ENSURES THEY WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. OUR WORK BEGAN WITH BUILDING, AND NOW MAINTAINING, CEMETERIES AND MEMORIALS AT 23,000 LOCATIONS IN MORE THAN 150 COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES, AND MANAGING THE OFFICIAL CASUALTY DATABASE ARCHIVES FOR OUR MEMBER NATIONS.” FOR INFORMATION ON THE LOAN STATUS AND TERMS OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE GRAVE COMMISSION HEADSTONE, COPIES OF LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES AND WALLWORK’S SERVICE FILE, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20150039000-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20150039000

Acquisition Date

2015-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail