Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ernest Walter Atkinson was the 5th surviving son and 10th of at least 15 children. He was born in Somerton on 30 March 1879 and baptised at St Michaels and All Angels Church. His parents Henry and Grace Ann (nee Farr) had married in Cork 20 August 1867 and shortly afterwards moved to Somerset.

We can learn from the children’s baptism records and census that Ernest’s father Henry Atkinson had been a China Dealer and Shop Keeper before he worked as Foreman in Welsh and Clark Linen Collar Factory in Broad Street until his retirement.

Ernest is recorded as a child on the 1881 and 1891 census. His mother Grace died in 1893 and his father married Annie Maria Smith in London, 1898. We pick up Ernest again on the 1901 census where we see he was also employed as a Clerk at the Collar Factory. In 1909, we find him aboard a ship called the Runic sailing from Liverpool, via Cape Town to Sydney Australia, his occupation was listed as Draper.

After the outbreak of war, Ernest enlisted in November 1915 and was assigned to 20th Battalion, Australian Infantry, Australian Imperial Forces (AIF). His military record describes him as 5’ 9 ½” – 9 stone 2 lbs with dark complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair. We know he sailed on the troop ship Wiltshire 22 August 1916. Two months later he arrived in Plymouth.

He left Folkstone for France on 8th May 1917. He was admitted to hospital several times over the following months and discharged. On 9 October 1917 her was reported as killed in action in Belgium at the age of 38.

Obituary: Ernest Atkinson was the 38 years old son of Grace Atkinson. 14th Reinforcements 20th (New South Wales) Battalion Australian Imperial Force.(5th NSW Infantry Brigade 2nd Australian Division).Killed in action on Tuesday the 9th October 1917 during the Battle of Poelcapelle, 6th in the series of the 3rd Battles of Ypres, 31st July-10th November 1917.

Australian records indicate The Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing enquiry Bureau files contain the following report:
Atkinson 5294 Signaller Atkinson was killed by a shell at Ypres on the early morning of 9th October 1917 We came across together in the same transport. He got hit the second time he was in the line We came out of the line after 48 hours.
Informant. Edwards. Pte Leslie James 5333.20th Bn Harbon Hall V.A.D Hospital Birmingham. Home address Crimea Street, Paramatta, NSW. “I can only say that Atkinson was in the signallers and was missing on October 9th 1917 at Bullecourt.” When I was in hospital at Etaples later about January 14th 1918.

He is remembered on the war memorial in his home town of Somerton, Somerset and on the Cemetery/Memorial - West-Vlaanderen Belgium Passchendaele New British Cemetery His grave reference is XIV. C. 16

The last document I’ve found is a copy of his will in which he left his estate to his father with a codicil that if his father pre-deceased him his effects would go to his stepmother Anna Maria Atkinson.