334232 Pte. Curtis Elton Walker was born in Brigden, Lambton County, Ontario, on 10 March 1898, to Allen and Emily (née Lester) Walker, and was younger sibling to sister, Blanche, who was born in October 1896.
Though the Walkers were an Irish farming family, when the call came for Curtis, he was working as a clerk in Sarnia, Ontario. On signing up on 22 March 1917, at the age of 19, Curtis was assigned to the 63rd Depot Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery, having attested in London, Ontario. By then his mother had passed away, and his next of kin was just his father, Allen.
On 7 May 1917, Curtis stepped off the S.S. Olympic (sister ship to the Titanic) in England, having been attached to the 8th Reserve Battalion. Upon being transferred to the 4th CMR on the 16th, Curtis was immediately posted to France where he joined his new regiment in the field on the 24th, at Villers-au-Bois, 8 miles / 13 km to the north-west of Arras.
From late March to mid-April of 1918, Curtis was admitted to hospital with Tonsillitis, though served without other notable incident, until it was reported on 8 November 1918, three days before the Armistice, that he had been wounded. Suffering a gas shell injury, which likely occurred on the Mons Road on the 7th, he was admitted to hospital once more.
Following the Armistice, Curtis remained in France into early 1919. During this time, in January of 1919, he is recorded as having "forfeited 4 days['] pay" for "overstaying leave." In February of 1919, he returned to England from France, and then began the return journey home from 19 March 1919.
Embarking in Glasgow, Scotland, on 30 March 1919, Curtis sailed home to Canada on the S.S. Saturnia, where he was discharged from the Canadian Expeditionary Force under demobilization. He subsequently settled in the USA, initially in Detroit, Michigan, and was married twice: in June 1925, and in October 1942.
Documentation shows that Curtis was registered in the US draft in 1941, aged 43, where his next of kin was recorded as his sister, now Mrs William Hayward, living in Brigden, Ontario. He was then working at the Battle Creek Roofing and Insulating Co., in Calhoun County, Michigan, USA. There is no indication, though, that he actually served in WW2.
Pte. Curtis Elton Walker, formerly of the 63rd Battery C.F.A., and 4th CMR, went on to live to the age of 71, passing away on 23 January 1970 in Kilgore, Gregg Co., Texas, wherein his occupation was listed as an oilfield construction worker. He was laid to rest at Resthaven Park East Cemetery, in Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Thanks and credit for the biography go to Sean Maas-Stevens, with additional service details provided by 4cmr.com
Headstone image used by 4cmr.com, with due credit to: jtnjan - Find a Grave.