Walter George Gunner AM

b. 1883 London.  d. 16/10/1939 Clapham, London.

DATE OF AM ACTION: 19/08/1917 Dover, Kent.

Walter G Gunner AM

Walter was born in London in 1883, the son of George Gunner, and little is known of his early life. On 23rd December 1906 he married Ellen Trimmer at St Barnabas’ Church, Lambeth. He enlisted at the outbreak of World War I as a Trooper in the 1st Dragoon Guards, and went to France on 16th August 1914. On 11th April 1917, he transferred to the Army Pay Corps, though following the incident which led to his AM he was invalided out of the Army. He received his AM from King George V at Buckingham Palace on 31st October 1918.

 

AM CITATION:

On the 19th August last a tramcar full of passengers was descending a hill at Dover, and it got out of control. The. driver, finding that the brakes would not act, jumped off the front platform, and Private Gunner promptly took the driver’s place on the platform and made every effort to stop the car by the application o{ the brakes. Unfortunately, in spite of Private Gunner’s courage and presence of mind, he was unsuccessful in stopping the car, which ran to the bottom of the hill -at great speed and overturned. Private Gunner lost both his feet as a result of the accident.

 

BURIAL LOCATION: UNKNOWN.

LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.