Born: 23 August, 1913, in London. Died: 21 October, 2010 in Staffordshire, aged 99.
In August 1940 at the height of the Battle of Britain, Flight Lieutenant William Walker and his colleagues from No 616 Squadron were scrambled at their headquarters from Kenley in Kent. They were ordered to intercept 40 German bombers who were crossing the Channel with bombs to be dropped on London. Walker’s squadron climbed to gain strategically better attacking conditions but were ambushed by a squadron of Messerschmitts.
A savage dog-fight ensued and three Spitfires were lost within minutes. As Walker prepared for an attack his Spitfire was hit from behind. He was shot in the ankle and the Spitfire began to nosedive. Walker was forced to bail out at 20,000ft and, as his Battle of Britain Memorial Trust obituary recounts: “William clung to a shipwreck on the Goodwin Sands before being rescued by a fishing boat, transferred to an RAF launch and brought ashore at Ramsgate.”
Walker remained a fervent upholder of the best traditions of the RAF and to the memory of his fellow pilots who demonstrated such bravery in those dark days. He often enthusiastically talked of the inspiration provided by Winston Churchill and, fittingly, Walker devoted much of his life in peacetime to working for the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust (BBMT) for which he wrote many very personal poems. Walker, a proud and modest man, was the last of that gallant band of airmen who have passed into history as The Few.
William Louis Buchanan Walker was born into a branch of the Ind Coope brewing family and after attending Brighton College he joined his father in the firm. But keen to prepare for war, Walker joined the Oxford division of the RAF Volunteer Reserve in September 1938 to train as a pilot. With this valuable experience he was, therefore, called up on the outbreak of war, completing his training before joining No 616 in Beverley, East Yorkshire. Their orders were to safeguard the vital ports in north-east England and defend the industrial cities in Yorkshire. In those early months of the war the Luftwaffe increased their attacks on the UK and Walker’s squadron flew several hazardous missions.
Walker’s first mission, in fact, occurred when he was still training. He was out on a flight out of Beverley with an instructor when they were told by radio to engage an enemy aircraft. “My Spitfire was much slower and, worse, I had never fired the guns on a Spitfire. I found a button and saw bullets hitting the enemy aircraft.”
With a broad smile Walker recalled years later: “I was ecstatic. My first hit after only five hours flying. When I returned to base I was informed my plane had not been loaded and the bullets came from other German fighters that were firing at me!”
He flew with the squadron in a ferocious attack off the Yorkshire coast during which six enemy bombers were shot down. In August 1940 616 squadron was moved to Kenley, where the action was even more severe. It was from there that Walker was shot down on the mission and was cheered all the way to Ramsgate and presented with a packet of cigarettes by “a kindly elderly lady”.
Unfortunately, the hospital had been badly damaged and he was transferred to a nearby RAF hospital where a .303 bullet was removed from his ankle – a souvenir he kept for the rest of his life. He recuperated and within six months was back with his squadron and then transferred to an aircraft ferry unit before serving with an anti-aircraft squadron. He was demobbed in 1945 and awarded the Air Efficiency Award.
After the war Walker returned to the brewing trade and became chairman of Ind Coope – a post he held until his retirement in 1972. He also devoted much time to working for the BBMT.
He was always present at the Remembrance Service at Capel-le-Ferne in Kent, which always concluded with Walker reciting one of his poems. His poems were published in 2011 with the proceeds going to the BBMT. Another annual event was the trust’s dinner, when Walker toasted former colleagues and recited his poem, Absent Friends.
His moving poem, Our Wall, formed part of the inscription which Prince Michael of Kent unveiled in 2010 with the names of the 2937 members of The Few. It concludes with the stirring words, “Many brave unwritten tales/That were simply told in vapour trails”.
Walker remained active and with perfect recall until the end. His mind was sharp and his manner courteous – and he was always blessed with a radiant and welcoming smile. His marriage was dissolved and he is survived by five of his seven children.
Alasdair Steven