| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | AWM2019.22.267 |
| Collection number | 3DRL/5018 |
| Collection type | Digitised Collection |
| Record type | Item |
| Item count | 1 |
| Object type | Scrapbook |
| Physical description | 39 Image/s captured |
| Place made | Australia |
| Date made | 1921-1922 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Source credit to | This item has been digitised with funding provided by Commonwealth Government. |
Scrapbook relating to the death of Walter Oswald Watt
Description
Scrapbook relating to the First World War service and death of Lieutenant Colonel Walter Oswald Watt, No. 2 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps.
Watt undertook flying training in England and obtained his Royal Aero Club certificate in 1911, the first Australian to do so. He was in France when war was declared on Germany, and immediately offered his flying services and plane to the war effort. He served with the Military Aviation Division of the French Foreign Legion and was awarded a Croix de Guerre for his good work as a pilot on the Western Front. He transferred to the newly-formed Australian Flying Corps in mid-1916, and was soon given command of No. 2 Squadron. Watt was held in high esteem by all who worked with him. Following his war service, Watt returned to Australia. He drowned at Bilgola Beach, Newport, New South Wales, on 21 May 1921.
This scrapbook was compiled by his family and presented to the Australian War Memorial on 27 September 1973. It contains clippings from various newspapers that relate to Watt’s life, service, death, and funeral.