D.G.T. Horsford remembers a fine soldier, and close friend

General Sir Walter Walker (1912-2001), was a much-decorated soldier and a great patriot. His death was covered by, amongst others, the Daily Telegraph's 'Peter Simple', Michael Wharton, who said that Walter Walker was 'everything a British general should be' and a fine example of a certain type of Englishman', and wondered 'Its that type altogether extinct?' We are pleased to published this personal memoir from a former comrade, himself a valiant military man. 

When I joined the 1/8 Gurkhas in Quetta in 1938, Walter Walker was adjutant and a very efficient adjutant he was. I had traveled across India with my two dogs in a first-class compartment but with a third class ticket, and none for my dogs, because I had spent the cash given to me by the Indian government for my journey and could only afford a third class ticket. I was not found out until I reached my destination, when the stationmaster reported me to my C.O., who had come to meet me with his adjutant. The C.O. ordered Lieutenant Walker to get on his bicycle and pedal three miles uphill to borrow a vast sum of money from the regimental contractor to bail me out. I suppose it wasn't surprising that Walker never spoke to me for the first six weeks, but eventually we became great friends. 

He used to hold an adjutant's parade for the whole battalion every Saturday and would drill us for up to three hours until every movement was perfect. About once every six weeks an officer had to perform the duties of the British Officer of the Week, the daily duties being carried out by Gurkha officers. Before I carried out my first duties, the adjutant said that I was to understudy him. We met outside the mess at 11pm dressed in mess kit, with out bicycles. Our first duty was to visit the guardroom inside the general's compound. Walker spent nearly an hour questioning the sentry and the guard commander. We then bicycled down to Quetta town to visit the arsenal, which had dour sentry posts, and quizzing them took about two hours. This was followed by a bicycle ride of three miles to the battalion quarter guard, followed by an inspection of about 600 soldiers' beds to ensure their mosquito nets were serviceable and properly tucked in. We arrived back at the mess at about 6am, when Walker said to me 'Time for a shave, a cup of tea and change into uniform and I'll see you on parade at 7 o'clock'. 

All this happened within one week of my joining the battalion and gives an insight into Walter Walker's character, his efficiency, devotion to duty and energy. I served with him and under him in several appointments and got to know him extremely well. 

We served together on the North-West Frontier in 1939/40, when he was adjutant and I was quarter master--an appointment in the Indian Army held for a year or two by a combatant officer. I would work until midnight and then go into Walter's room to say goodnight, when he would say that he had a couple of hours more work to do and was then going to write to his wife. He was indefatigable. When the Battalion left the frontier, Walter had been posted to the staff and he watched the whole battalion march out of camp leaving him behind. He was in tears to see us go without him. 

He was very ambitious but he had the courage of his convictions and didn't mind what he said to senior officers if he was convinced that he was right. On one occasion, the army commander, a four-star general, sent for Walker, who was a major general, and ordered him to do something. Walter refused, knowing the order to be ridiculous and said to the army commander 'You really are a stupid man'. The army commander was appalled, and threatened Walter with arrest. Walter replied 'You can't; there are not witnesses!' He was a thorn in the side of many officers and once to the Chief of the General Staff how to do his job! He disliked staff officers on principle, and referred to those working in M.O.D. as 'Whitehall warriors'. This didn't endear him to the top brass, nor to those officers whom he sacked for inefficiency but those who survived would go to the end of the earth for him. 

I didn't always agree with his methods. Everything was apt to be black and white with no allowance for grey areas. An officer serving under Walter was either efficient or in his opinion, inefficient and therefore must be sacked. So often, in my experience, an officer falls between the two at regimental duty or on the staff, and if he falls short of the standard one expects then he can be trained. I remember a divisional commander I served under in Burma who when handing over to a rather inhuman general, said of him 'He sacks them, I train them'. 

He was a brave and forceful commander and when he was commanding a Gurkha battalion fighting against the Japanese in Burma, or the communist terrorists in Malaya, he would accompany a patrol, or the unit carrying out an operation, to make sure they were doing it the correct way. He was a great soldier, ending up as a four star general, with a KCB, CBE, three DSOs and several mentions in dispatches, plus several Malaysian honors and awards. 

I knew Walter very well for over 60 years and we knew each other's families well, and often met. He had a delightful sense of humor, which many officers who served under him found difficult to believe. During the last 25 years, Walter lived about 20 miles from me. My wife and Iused to visit him periodically, and although it was lovely to see him and reminisce and laugh with him, it was very sad to see him so crippled with pain and virtually confined to his house. When his daughter--who is my God-daughter--rang me up and told me of her father's death, it was a nasty shock to think that I would never be able to go and see him again, but on the other hand a blessing that he would be relieved of the agonizing pain he had suffered for so many years. 

Major-General D.G.T. Horsford CBS, DSO + Bar, writes from Dorset 

This article was original published in Right Now! Magazine in the April/June 2002 issue. It is reprinted with kind permission.