Walter William Pigg was born in Palmer’s Green, Middlesex on Sunday, 8th January 1893 to Daniel Pigg and Sarah Hunt. Daniel and Sarah had nine children in total who were; John Thomas, Mary, George, Arthur, Henry (Harry) Charles, Walter William, Lois Martha, Ernest, and Frank Herbert.

When Walter was born, the family lived in Tile Kiln Lane in Palmers Green where his father Daniel worked as a Gardener, but the family moved in around 1898 and settled in Hemel Hempstead. They lived at ‘Cangles Bridge’ in an area of Boxmoor known as ‘The Fishery’, close to the watercress beds in Fishery Lane. By the time Walter died his parents were running the Post Office on Glenview Road in Hammerfield near Hemel Hempstead.

Walter’s education began in 1898 when he started at Boxmoor JMI School before moving to Bourne End School a year later. He left Bourne End to start work when he was thirteen years old in January 1906. He was apprenticed to Mr P.J. Cook a ‘Clothier’ in Apsley and a member of Hemel Hempstead Town Council. Walter later moved away to work for William Chappell, a ‘Clothier, Outfitter and Boot Dealer’ of Bell Green in Lower Sydenham, as a ‘Shop Assistant’.

He worked with Chappells until the outbreak of war, following which he enlisted in the Army, attesting in London and joining the newly formed Army Cyclist Corps in March 1915. The cyclist battalions were employed on coastal defences in the United Kingdom and their role was considered to be so important that, initially, none of them were sent overseas. In time however, one cyclist company was formed for each infantry division and these units were technically regular army. Most units of the Corps served out their time in the United Kingdom, providing replacement drafts to infantry battalions when required.

The primary roles of the cyclists were reconnaissance and communications (message taking). They were armed as infantry and could provide mobile firepower if required. Those units that went overseas continued in these roles, but once the mobile phase of war had settled down into entrenched warfare, they spent much time in trench-holding duties and on manual work.

Walter was posted to the 33rd Divisional Cyclist Company and assigned to No.3 Platoon which had been attached to 1st Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in January 1915. He went to France in November 1915 and initially performed the duties assigned to the Cyclists, however along with others from the unit he was drafted to the Cameronians in early 1916 and went into the front line.

By late June the 1st Cameronians were in the trenches on the ‘right sector’ at Givenchy in support of the impending Somme offensive. On the 2nd July shortly after they were relieved by the 20th Royal Fusiliers the battalion war diary records events: ‘Sun 2nd July. The battn. was relieved by 20th R. Fusiliers and went back to Brigade Support in Village Line. A mine was exploded on the right which shook in a sap and buried two men. Casualties :-Killed No. 11275 Pte. DOHERTY – No.[25796] Pte. PIGG – D Coy.’

Walter was killed on Sunday, 2nd July 1916.

His death was reported in the Hemel Gazette shortly after he was killed and a letter from his C.O. was published.

The same edition of the Gazette published a letter from the Brigade Chaplain which described Walter’s funeral and the cemetery where he was buried.

Walter is Remembered with Honour at the Gorre British and Indian Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, where he is interred in Grave II.B.6.

He was 23 years old when he died.

Walter was entitled to the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.