Roll of Honour 2023

P AGE 95

W ORLD W AR O NE (1914 - 1918) INCLUDING THOSE WHO DIED LATER AS A RESULT OF THIS WAR

S T . E DWARD ’ S S CHOOL , O XFORD R OLL OF H ONOUR

Name WALTER HEYES PICKERING RICHARDS (Capt)

Set / House A

Arrive SES 1892

Roll Number 816 Died 03:05:1915

Lef SES 1898

Where RAZORBACK, MONASH VALLEY Serving with ROYAL MARINES LIGHT INFANTRY

Age 34

Buried Helles Memorial Cemetery, Gallipoli Remembered Helles Memorial, Gallipoli. The St. Edward’s School Chapel (Wooden Plaque) and The Cloisters Stone Memorial Born 1881 in Gloucestershire, the son of a clergyman. His long stay at the School was dominated by his gymnastic and athletics abilities. He was a School Prefect, a member of the Rugby Football XV 1898, winner of the Headers and the Garnett Cup for several years. His athleticism was quite astonishing, it was nothing for him to cycle from his home in Swindon, over 30 miles, just for a bathe in the School’s outside swimming pool. One one occasion he did this, he also ran the School Race on the Upper River and then down to Iffley and ran up with the School Eights on the Lower River, returning to his home on his cycle’ (Chronicle)!’ On leaving he was in the Middle Moderns Form. In 1905 he joined the Essex Regiment, serving in Malta and Quetta for long spells between the Boer and Great Wars. In 1899 he was commissioned in to the Royal Marines Light Infantry as a Second Lieutenant - rising to Captain rank in 1909. He served in the China Squadron as the Gymnastics Officer under two successive commands. Later he was the Adjutant to the 1st Division Royal Marines at Chatham. Married in 1911 and the father of two sons. In The Great War he was sent to the Dardanelles and killed in action at RazorBack, Monash Valley on the Anzac Beachhead. ‘He died gallantly, bravely leading a most difficult and dangerous charge in a perfectly fearless manner. Accompanied by five men who were active enough to keep up with him, he scrambled up a steppe slope in front a Turkish trench, the parapet they actually gained and with their hands were pushing aside the enemy bayonets to jump down amongst them. A machine gun opened up, killing all