Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

2/Lt James Hope Walker


Guest Steve Seaman

Recommended Posts

Guest Steve Seaman

Quite by chance the other day I came by this Officers grave whilst searching for someone else.

His headstone was quite impressive saying that he was in the RFC and died on the 16/3/17.

I've found him on SDGW but no luck with CWCG.

If anyone has a RFC roll of honour would they mind looking him up for me

2/Lt James Hope Walker RFC buried St Lukes Hatfield Herts.

Many thanks

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve:

Found this - hope it helps!

gordon

Casualty Details

Name: WALKER, JAMES HOPE

Initials: J H

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Second Lieutenant

Regiment: Royal Flying Corps

Age: 20

Date of Death: 16/03/1917

Additional information: Son of Thomas George and Helen Black Walker, of Symond's Hyde, Hatfield. Formerly served in London Scottish.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: 2. I. 9.

Cemetery: BISHOP'S HATFIELD (ST. LUKE) CHURCHYARD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lt James Hope Walker of No 38 (Reserve) Squadron RFC, formerly of the London Scottish, was killed in an accident while flying Bristol F2A A3311 on 16 March 1917.

The F2A was the first version of the Bristol Fighter, and was developed into the more successful F2B. A photograph of A3312, the next aircraft to be produced after Lt Walker's machine, is below.

post-25-1084536822.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Hello there chaps,

First post for me here! :)

I came across this whilst searching on Google. I have J. H. Walker's RFC loose leaf notebook. It is very detailed and has lots of infoabout engines, bombs, cameras etc. I was keen to research him a bit more but apart from the info here and the fact that I know he went Brasenose College, Oxford I'm stuck! Where would be a good place to look? Out of interest I also know he enlisted as a Pte first of all with the London Scottish. But I would like to know where he was killed etc.

Thanks, from Jack.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 years later...

Hello

I just found this discussion when searching "James Hope Walker" on Google. James Hope Walker was my Great Uncle. I have some photos of him, and of his crashed plane, among other family documents. I intend to post an article about him onto my website; https://afamilyhistoryblog.wordpress.com/ , possibly to mark 100 years since his death (in March). I may order his Medal Card from the National Archives; http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6422056 . I would be most interested in any other records/documentation that may be available about him.

Jack; I would be very interested to know more about that notebook, if it did belong to the same J. H. Walker.

James Hope Walker is commemorated at St Luke's Church, Hatfield; http://www.hatfield-herts.co.uk/warmem/ww1-2stluke.html , and on a gravestone, with his Parents, at All Saints Church, Radwell, Hertfordshire; https://hu.billiongraves.com/grave/Thomas-George-Walker/8485291#/ .

Thanks.

Matt

https://afamilyhistoryblog.wordpress.com/

Edited by Matt W
correction of one detail, re gravestone.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hello Matt

By coincidence I am re-visiting my research into the men on the war memorial of St Albans School, one of whom is James Hope Walker.

I need to go back and photograph his admission record but will send you the image when I do. I do know it records his date of birth as 3 July 1896.

I have attached images of the memorial and of Panel 8 where James' name is recorded, which I hope may be of interest.

I would be very grateful if you could let me have a photo of him that we could use on the School's website & memorial documentation.

Very impressed by your website too!

Kind regards, Gareth

 

St Albans School Memorial.jpg

Panel 8 - Telfer to Young + Jones - 1 cropped.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Gareth.

I have a number of photos and other documents of James Hope Walker, including his birth certificate. I attach scans of a few small photos. The ladies with him in one image are (I believe) his sisters - the back is labelled "Bunch, Bee, Ethel, & yourself (Jim Walker)". The man standing with James, in another photo, isn't labelled! But I suspect that its his father, Thomas George Walker. The group of 6 photos of the airfield include 3 of a crashed plain. It isn't clear if this was the crash in which James was killed! In 2 of the other images you can make out the numbers of planes; A3314 and A3329.

I intend to try and write up some more about him, to post on https://afamilyhistoryblog.wordpress.com/ in the next month or so, in time for the centenary of his death.

Any more records/documents you have about him would be very interesting. Thanks.

Matt

James-Hope-Walker-RFC_600dpi.jpg

JH-Walker_&-others_600dpi.jpg

J-H-Walker_&-unsure_600dpi.jpg

James-Hope-Walker_airfield-photos.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matt

 

Bristol F.2A A3314 of No 39 Sqn spun in from 1200 feet on 20 November 1917.  2Lt Thomas Arthur Lloyd (formerly Royal Fusiliers) was injured and 2Lt Thomas Bradley Pritchard (formerly Army Service Corps) died from his injuries.

 

It's a pity we can't see the serial on the crashed Avro 504.

 

Gareth

 

Edited by Dolphin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...