Walter Richard Maddox was born in Chirbury in 1887. His parents were Cornelius and Ann Maddox, his father worked as a Barytes miller (Shropshire History). He was their second child with elder brother Harry and younger siblings Harriet, Albert and Arthur. By 1901 Walter had left home and was working as a house boy and servant at Cottage Farm, Chirbury; in 1911 he was a waggoner at Wotherton Hall farm, also at Chirbury. In October 1911 Walter married Eleanor Edith Beckett at Oswestry; they would have 2 children, Edith, born 1912 and Elsie M, born 1914. Walter was now working as a collier at Chirk Green.  At the time of the war they were living at 4 Park Terrace, Whittington Road, Oswestry.

Walter probably enlisted in early 1915, he went over to France on 2 October 1915 as a draft to 5 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry joining B Coy, at that time the battalion was in billets near to Poperinghe, Ypres.  Walter died of wounds on 10 April 1917 at a (?32) CCS at Warlincourt. His obituary records that he had been wounded in the thigh. He is buried at Warlincourt Halte British Cemetery. It is not possible to say exactly when or where he had been wounded but most likely is during the Battle of Arras. Between 1-7 April 1917 the battalion was out of the line and no casualties are recorded. On 8 April they moved to the front line near to Ronville and were engaged in action on the first day, 9 April 1917, of the Battle. Casualties were 12 officers and 189 other ranks.

Acknowledgements.

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