Walter joined the Royal Navy as a first-class stoker, and was killed during largest sea battle of the Great War – the Battle of Jutland – on May 31 1916.
HMS Warrior had joined the Grand Fleet in December 1914. At the Battle of Jutland on May 31 1916, the 1st Cruiser Squadron flagship, HMS Defense, and Warrior spotted the German II Scouting Group and opened fire, but their shells fell short. Shortly afterwards they moved in on the damaged German light cruiser SMS Wiesbaden but they were themselves intercepted by the German battle cruiser SMS Derfflinger and four other battleships. The fire from the German ships was heavy and both Defence and Warrior were hit. Warrior was saved when the German ships switched their fire to the battleship HMS Warspite.
Warrior had been badly damaged by the German shells; she was flooding and suffered from large fires, although her engines continued running long enough to allow her to withdraw. She was taken in tow by HMS Engadine who rescued the surviving crew of 743. On June 1, she was abandoned and subsequently foundered. Walter was one of 68 men from HMS Warrior killed, of whom 38, including Walter, were stokers. He was buried at sea.
While Britain lost more ships than the Germans during this battle (14 ships and more than 6,000 lives compared with nine ships and more than 2,500 casualties), the German navy was less able to withstand the losses, and did not put to sea and challenge the Royal Navy in the North Sea again.
