The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (400312) Sergeant Henry Norman Walker, No. 37 Squadron RAF, Second World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Craig Berelle, the story for this day was on (400312) Sergeant Henry Norman Walker, No. 37 Squadron RAF, Second World War.

400312 Sergeant Henry Norman Walker, No. 37 Squadron RAF
KIA 8 March 1942
No photograph in collection

Story delivered 18 April 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Sergeant Henry Norman Walker.

Born on 23 October 1918, Henry Walker was the youngest son of Henry and Daisy Walker of Burwood, Victoria. He went to school at Scotch College and Box Hill High School, and played tennis and golf. After school he gained employment at Melford Motors and studied accountancy by correspondence.

Walker enlisted for the Royal Australian Air Force in August 1940. He underwent training in Australia and Canada as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme before being sent to England. From there he was transferred to No. 37 Squadron of the British Royal Air Force, which had been operating in North Africa out of Egypt and Malta. He joined his new squadron as a wire operator air gunner late in 1941.

No. 37 Squadron flew Wellington bombers: long-range, medium bombers that remained in use in the Middle East for much of the campaign there. In March 1942 Walker was part of a Wellington DV.483 crew preparing to depart the airfield at Luqa, Malta, with a full bomb load. They were almost airborne when they hit another Wellington which had been approaching the end of the runway. Both planes had been operating with their lights off in order to minimise the risk of enemy bombing, and one had been moving without permission from flight control. As they collided, both aircraft burst into flames, setting off the bombs and mines on board. Rescue work was carried out straight away, and most of the crews survived. Three men were killed in the accident, one died in hospital later, and another man suspected of being on board was never found.

One of the men killed outright was Sergeant Henry Walker. He was buried in a nearby cemetery, described to his parents in Australia as "a beautiful little garden set at the top of a hill overlooking the sea ... filled with cedars, fir trees and flowering shrubs". A photograph of this grave is today displayed beside the Pool of Reflection. Henry Walker was 23 years old.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with around 40,000 others from the Second World War. There is no photograph in the Memorial's collection to display beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Sergeant Henry Norman Walker, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.