Reginald Walter Ambrose, known as Walter, was born in Hemel Hempstead on Wednesday, 19th September 1894 and baptised on Wednesday, 17th February 1897 aged two. He was the fifth son and child born to John Ambrose and Eliza Odell who had ten children together. Walter’s siblings were: Horace, Arthur, Joseph, Frederick, Daisy, Rose, John, Ethel and the youngest Frank. One of his older brothers Joseph, also died in the Great War only three months after Walter and his biography also appears on this site. His youngest brother Frank was lost when  HMS Hood was sunk by the Bismarck in the north Atlantic on the 24th May 1941. Only three men from the crew of 1421 survived the sinking.  Another close family member, his cousin William ‘Weary’ Ambrose was killed in France just four weeks before Walter. William’s biography appears on this site.

When he was old enough to leave school and start work, Walter followed his four older brothers into John Dickinson & Co. Limited at Apsley Mills. He worked as a ‘Frame Maker’ and like his brothers Walter laboured in the Printing department. By this time the Ambrose family had moved from Piccott’s End a short distance to a new home at 28 Cherry Bounce, just off the High Street in Hemel Hempstead. Walter and his five younger siblings shared this meagre accommodation with their parents and it was from here that he went to enlist on the outbreak of war.

Old enough at nineteen for immediate foreign service, Walter went to Hertford to join the Colours where he enlisted with the 1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment, on the 22nd October 1914. At the time of his attestation he was described as five feet four-and-a-half inches and physically fit and was immediately sent to begin his basic training in Stowlangtoft near Bury St. Edmunds. He was sent to France six months later in the spring of 1915, disembarking in Le Havre on the 18th April before joining his regiment at Le Quesnoy seven days later, as part of a draft of thirty men.

One month later Walter fought in the Battle of Festubert where the battalion suffered over 100 casualties in the successful attack. Walter fortunately survived his first taste of action. In August 1915 the 1st Herts transferred to 6th Brigade in the 2nd Division and a month later Walter saw significant action again at the Battle of Loos when again he came through unscathed.

Walter was struck down by tonsillitis and sent down the line for ten days to recover in January 1916. In June 1916 he was again out of the line when he suffered a facial injury and he spent six days in hospital. He returned in time to take part in the Somme offensive including the Battles of Ancre Heights and Ancre late in 1916. He survived both battles and was rewarded with some home leave on the 28th November when he returned to Hemel Hempstead.

By the 8th December he was back in France but, suffering a recurrence of his tonsillitis meant he did not return to duty until the 28th December 1916. At the beginning of 1917 the 1st Herts had moved to Flanders and taken up positions near Ypres and in June, Walter was granted eleven days of home leave. He returned to visit family and friends in Hemel Hempstead little realising that this would be the last time he would see England. He was back with his Battalion by the 6th July as it prepared for the next major engagement.

The Battalion War Diaries record the events on 31st July 1917 at the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, a phase of the Third Battle of Ypres.“13-7-17…The remainder of the Bn, being unable to get through the wire and suffering severe casualties from enfilade MG fire & the Germans making a strong counter-attack from our left flank about this time, had to fall back having suffered extremely heavy casualties…”. The Battalion casualties totalled 459 from the actions and included 2nd Lieutenant Reginald Secretan from Bennett’s End in Hemel Hempstead. Indeed, on this day and in this battle eleven Hemel Hempstead soldiers fell including Walter Ambrose.

Walter was one of the 132 men posted missing presumed dead and he was officially confirmed as having been killed on Tuesday, 31st July 1917.

He was commemorated on the John Dickinson & Co. Limited War Memorial in Apsley along with his brother Joseph. Walter was also remembered by his older brother Frederick, who had fought in and survived the conflict. In October 1918 his wife Edith gave birth to their first son and they named him Reginald Walter Ambrose in memory of his fallen uncle.

Walter is Remembered with Honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Panel 54 and 56.

He was 23 years old when he died.

Walter was eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.