838037 Pte. Walter Henry was born to John and Helen Henry on September 3rd, 1893, in Normanby Township, Ontario. Eventually moving to Shallow Lake with his family, Walter was working there as a labourer when he attested to the 147th Battalion on March 20th 1916.
Walter would have been billeted locally until the 147th Battalion mobilized in Owen Sound in May, to finalize the administration and organization of the unit, just prior to their departure for Camp Niagara later that month. As the conditions in this Camp were wanting the unit moved to the new training facility of Camp Borden in late June.
The unit received their orders to proceed overseas in September and while en-route to Halifax, there was an outbreak of diphtheria and they were detained in Amherst, Nova Scotia, for over a month. The unit finally sailed for Great Britain, on November 14th 1916.
On January 1st, 1917 the 147th Battalion ceased to exist when it became the nucleus for the 8th Reserve Battalion, whose task it was to supply reinforcements to the 58th Battalion and the 4th C.M.R. Walter was taken on strength of the 4th C.M.R. on June 17th, 1917. Outside of a case of scabies that hospitalized him for a week, Walter was very fortunate to be counted amongst the very few who served throughout the war without receiving any physical wounds.
8389037 Private Walter Henry was struck off strength of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on March 20th, 1919. His service is remembered locally in the Grey and Simcoe Foresters Junior Ranks Mess, where his framed picture and medal grouping are displayed.
Biography credit: George Auer, as part of his 147th (Grey) Battalion project.
Biography details for Harold Henry added by 4cmr.com in conjunction with David Kavanagh.