The Life and Times of Walter Robbins
Insight into the life and times of a gallant old soldier
At the grand age of 94, old soldier Walter Robbins has seen a few changes since his birth in 1899.
No stranger to the media, he has been pictured several times by the Coronation Tree in Chilbolton for this newspaper. And recently he appeared on Meridian News as part of their Armistice Day report, talking about his experiences in the First World War.
After joining the Army in 1916, he was captured at the end of 1917 and made a prisoner of war. A shell had landed next to his dugout and he had been blown through the air, turning ‘over and over and over’. Amazingly he escaped with only minor injuries and carried on as part of the great German Push, defending Hill 60.
But this act of bravery led him to being captured by the Germans, finally landing him in a PoW camp in Germany. “That wasn’t too bad there,” he said after he described the meagre portions handed to the prisoners in the previous camp. There a solitary slice of bread and sometimes a bowl of soup had to keep them going for the day.
In the Second World War he was in the Home Guard, but this he described as ‘worse than being in the Army’. Working all day in the stables at Wherwell Priory he then had to go out training at night and be back at work the next morning.
Now Walter Robbins is the last of his boyhood friends and Home Guard regiment, but he was proud to represent them all on Armistice Day. He attended the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in the Albert Hall and had ‘a beautiful view’ of both the Queen and the evening’s events.
Not only does Mr Robbins have a lot of years behind him but he also has a large family to enjoy. His two children provided him with nine grandchildren, they in turn produced 13 great grandchildren and finally he has three great great grandchildren.
Date of coverage
1993-1994Place
WherwellLanguage
EnglishReference number
AQ17292.1Storage location
OneDriveFormat
Area
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