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| Barnsley Chronicle 6th February 1943 Thanks to Barnsley Archives |
Son of: Patrick Joseph Carroll (known as Joseph) and Mary Ann Carroll nee Townend. Joseph (1880-1940, died age 59) was a glass bottle worker who married Mary Ann on 12th November 1904. Joseph served in the Meditteranean during WW1, contracting Malaria during his time there. He died at Hound Hill Road although his home address was 13 Beckett Street, Barnsley. Mary Ann (1881-1944, died age 63) was born in Darton and lived at 139 Doncaster Road at the time of her death. The couple had three children:
- Doris Mary 1905.
- Charles 1907-1934, died age 26.
- Walter 1915.
Husband of: Margaret E. Carroll nee Richardson. Margaret and Walter married in 1939 and had one child Margaret A. Carroll, born in 1940 who was two years old when Walter died.
Military Service: Walter was a Lance Bombardier in the Royal Artillery, service number 4694697.
Death: 19th August 1942 in St Agnes, Cornwall, drowned while saving two children.
Buried: St Agnes Cemetery in Plot A, grave 303 X.
Find a grave link: here
Commonwealth War Graves Commission link: here
Remembered: Holy Rood Church, Barnsley, Book of Remembrance and Redfearn Bros Roll of Honour, Barnsley.
Note: The Barnsley Chronicle on 6th February 1943 reported:
Soldier Husband's Bravery Recognised
Carnegie Fund Award to Barnsley Widow
The gallantry of Lance-Bombardier Walter Carroll R.A. (27) of Blenheim Road, Barnsley who lost his life after saving the lives of two children from drowning at St. Agnes, Cornwall in August last year, and left a wife and one child aged two, has been recognised by the Carnegie Hero Fund, who have awarded to the widow a memorial certificate and a supplementary allowance. The circumstances as related in these columns at the time, were that on August 19th last a number of people were bathing in the sea. Four soldiers, including Lce-Bombardier Carroll, heard a cry of help from a child, and they went to their rescue. Carroll saved two children who were in danger of drowning, one a boy of 11, and the other a girl of 13, bringing them to safety by placing them on a rock protruding from the sea. The children were then taken to the beach by other soldiers.
What really happened afterwards, said Mrs Carroll, in giving this narrative, they did not know. It was believed the current swept Lance-Bombardier Carroll back again and when he was brought to the shore he was still alive. On the beach artificial respiration was applied for three hours, he was attended by a doctor, but all was of no avail.
Lance-Bombardier Carroll was a well-known Barnsley man, formerly a scoutmaster at Holy Rood Catholic Church. He was a likeable young man, being popular with everyone who knew him. Before joining the Army, the K.O.Y.L.I. in June 1940, he had been employed at Redfearn's Glassworks about ten years, and at his death had been with the Royal Artillery about nine months.
Research by KingstoneHistory
I am Walters’s grandson and was pleasantly surprised to see this. I have a copy of his Carnegie hero certificate on the wall in my hall. To update this; my grandma died in 2009 in Kettering Northants, and had never remarried; my mum is still alive though. I last visited his grave about 10 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI did a bit of research a couple of years ago and I believe he was training on bofors guns on the cliffs, shooting targets towed by boats. There are maps on the web showing the location of the artillery camps by St Agnes. He had two brothers in law who died in WW2 (on my grandmas side), L D Richardson in a Halifax bomber out of Middleton St George and W Richardson who died at Dunkirk – all in their 20’s.