838248 Pte. Walter Gerald Barrett was born on October 18th, 1897 in Owen Sound, Grey County, Ontario, a thriving fresh water port on the shores of Georgian Bay.
When hostilities broke out Percy attested to the 147th Battalion on January 1st, 1916, and assigned to "B" Company.
Billeted locally over the remainder of the winter, the 147th Battalion mobilized in Owen Sound in the spring of 1916 and left for training at Camp Niagara. As the conditions in the Camp were wanting the unit moved to the new training facility of Camp Borden in late June.
In September 1916 the unit received their orders to proceed overseas, but due to an outbreak of diphtheria they were detained in Amherst, Nova Scotia, for over a month. The unit finally sailed for Great Britain on November 14th 1916 on the S.S. Olympic.
On January 1st, 1917, the 147th Battalion ceased to exist when it became the nucleus for the 8th Reserve Battalion. On September 27th, 1917, Walter was taken on strength of the 4th C.M.R. and served with the unit through Passchendaele, the German Spring offensive and the final 100 days of the war.
Pte. Walter Gerald Barrett was struck off strength July 26th, 1919, having come through the war with no visible wounds.
Biography details credit: George Auer