Walter ‘Wally’ Peeler was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Battle of Broodseinde in October 1917. He repeatedly took the lead in the 37th Battalion’s advance on well-defended German positions, destroying four machine gun posts and killing more than 30 German soldiers. After three-and-a-half years as prisoner of war, he was freed in August 1945 and returned to Australia in October, resuming his duties at the Shrine of Remembrance. He retired in 1964 and, aged 80, died at his home in South Caulfield on 23 May 1968.
About Walter Peeler in brief
Walter ‘Wally’ Peeler was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Battle of Broodseinde in October 1917. He repeatedly took the lead in the 37th Battalion’s advance on well-defended German positions, destroying four machine gun posts and killing more than 30 German soldiers during the battle. Born in Castlemaine, Victoria, Peeler worked at various jobs in his home town and in the Melbourne area before enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force in February 1916. In May 1940 he enlisted for service in the Second World War, understating his age by fourteen years to avoid the upper age limit imposed on volunteers. After three-and-a-half years as prisoner of war, he was freed in August 1945 and returned to Australia in October, resuming his duties at the Shrine of Remembrance. He retired in 1964 and, aged 80, died at his home in South Caulfield on 23 May 1968. He was the eighth child of William Peeler, a farmer and miner, and his English-born wife Mary Ellen. On 10 July 1907, he wed Emma Hewitt; the couple were to have five children. On 17 February 1916, he enlisted in theAustralian Imperial Force forService in the First World War. In June 1917, his battalion participated in the assault on Messines ridge, where he was lightly wounded. In early 1917, he accompanied the battalion north in preparation for the upcoming Messines offensive. On 26 April 1917, one month before the offensive, he found himself the subject of a court-martial in an incident that led to him being stripped of the lance corporal stripe.
He spent three days in hospital before returning to his battalion. On 22 June he was promoted to lance Corporal once again. On 7 June 1917 he participated in initial assault on initial Messines Ridge during the action, he suffered shrapnel wounds to his face and eye from an artillery shell and a gunshot wound to his cheek. In mid-December, he attended a week-long course at the Machine Gun School in Le Touquet. On 6 November he was posted to the 3rd Pioneer Battalion. Two weeks later, the battalion was posted on the Western Front. In August 1942, his unit was one of the first sent to the Netherlands East Indies in early 1942. After the entry of Japan into the war, his units assisted in the Dutch defence of the island. In March 1945, after Dutch resistance collapsed in March, allied forces in Java signed a formal surrender with British, Australian and American troops becoming prisoners of war. On 3 July, he spent three months in England undergoing additional training, and fined a day’s pay. On 4 July he was charged with being absent without leave for six hours on 3 July. On 8 May 1917, during a training session he was found guilty of negligent handling of a Lewis Gun while instructing a Private John Martin Fife. In October he was sentenced to two years in prison.
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