41 Walter Ind

Private: Royal Garrison Artillery We have very little information on Walter but are able to piece together a sparse history of him. We know from the Parish Register that he was buried on Thursday the 15th of April 1920 and that he died six days earlier (Friday the 9th of April) at Cranham Sanatorium. We quote from the Stroud News and Journal, the press report of his funeral: "Death was directly due to injuries sustained through gas poisoning whilst on active service in France. Although demobilised on September 17th 1919, his health was so precarious that he was only able to work for two weeks." The article went on to list the people attending, which included his fiancée, Miss R Elliot of Tetbury. We have a copy of his "Medical History". This tells us that he enlisted at Bristol on the 13th of November 1915. He gave his occupation as "Groom and Cowman". He was 5ft 10in tall, (1.78m) and weighed 132lb (60kgs) and, at the time was 22 years and 5 months old. We know nothing of his military service from then on, apart from an embarkation date to France on Monday the 26th of June 1916. He was born on Monday the 12th of June 1893 and was baptised at Holy Cross Church 41 days later. He was the eldest child of 7 children born to Paul Ind and his wife Elizabeth, née Risby. He lived with his parents, two brothers and four sisters at what was known as "Bell Corner" in the 1901 and 1911 census returns, (those cottages at the bottom of New Inn Lane) now known as High Street, Avening. At some time before 1919, he was assessed for a pension although we have no details. His final medical report states the cause of his death as "Acute Pulmonary Tuberculosis" and "Cardiac Failure". Our sympathies must go out to his parents and fiancée, trying to visit him at Cranham during his last days. His father would have received Walter's two medals - the British Medal and Victory Medal. There is no marked grave for Walter visible in the churchyard and he is not mentioned on his father's grave which was erected on his later death in 1948. Walter's life is a mystery even today to surviving descendants of his siblings.