255564 Pte. Walter Alexander Ross Australian Army 21st Battalion from:Jamieson, Victoria, Australia Walter Ross had been taken down by a bout of laryngitis while his Battalion were behind the lines at Jesus Farm near the River Lys doing infantry training. He'd paraded sick on 20th of May 1916 but despite being taken off duties and sent for medical care, it had worsened into Bronchitis and he was sent to the No. 5 Convalescent Hospital. He was subsequently sent to a hospital in England, and remained in England before returning to France on 12th of November 1916.
Walter was subsequently wounded again on 20th of March 1917, being shot in the thigh while his unit was attempting a flanking movement on the town of Noreuil, and required hospitalization at the No. 6 General Hospital in Rouen. The injury wasn't too serious and he rejoined his unit again a few weeks later.
He joined the 21st Battalion as they assaulted the Hindenburg Line at Bullecourt on 3rd of May 1917. Walter was in the 4th wave of troops who pushed forward against well entrenched machine guns, and a hail of High Explosive artillery shells. Walter was hit in the right shoulder by a machine gun bullet, fracturing his shoulder blade and lodging so deep that the doctors didn't dare remove it. He was one of 441 men from the 21st Battalion wounded that day, in addition to 67 killed and 60 missing.
He was sent to England where he was assessed as having a permanent disability, and then returned to Australia on the hospital ship S.S. Borda, returning home to his wife Sarah and young son Vernon.
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