Great War First Day of the Gallipoli landings casualty group awarded to Private A.T. Walden, 2nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (the City of London Regiment). From Burton Green, and later Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, as part of the 86th Brigade in the 29th Division, his battalion formed the first wave to land on ‘X Beach’ to cover the landing of the rest of the 29th Division on 25 April 1915. Landing unopposed, and with the guns from the battleship Implacable covering them, the men of the 2nd Battalion then made their way south to assist the troops at ‘W Beach’, where they were met with heavily fortified defences, machine-gun fire, and enemy shells raining down. It would have been at this point that Walden was killed.
Group of 3: 1914-1915 Star; (14977 PTE. T. WALDEN. R. FUS:); British War Medal and Victory Medal; (L-14977 PTE. T. WALDEN. R. FUS.)
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine.
Alfred Tom Walden was born in April 1890 in Burton Green, Warwickshire, the son of William Walden and Sarah Flagstaff. He was baptised in Westwood on 1 May 1890, and as of 1901 was living in Stoneleigh. With the Great War he saw service as a Private (No.L-14977) with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (the City of London Regiment) as part of the 86th Brigade in the 29th Division. As such Walden landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, and was killed in action on the same day as the landings.
Having been in boats toward by the battleship Implacable, the 2nd Battalion were the first wave to land on ‘X Beach’ to cover the landing of the rest of the 29th Division. Thankfully, their attack proved to be less problematic than their comrades elsewhere. According to war diaries belonging to members of the 2nd Battalion, ‘[t]he Implacable covered our landing with every available gun and except for distant rifle fire there was no opposition to our landing – and we suffered no Casualties.’ Afterwards, they headed south to assist the troops at ‘W Beach’, where they were met with heavily fortified defences, machine-gun fire, and enemy shells raining down. It would have been at this point that Walden was killed. Having no known grave, he is commemorated by name on the Helles Memorial.
