Walter Henry Malt
Lance Corporal Walter Henry Malt – Royal Engineers, 318th Road Construction Company
Early Life
Edward George Malt and Catherine Davies
marriage certificate
St. Paul's church, Kingston Hill, Surrey
Walter Henry Malt was born in 1890 in Blackpill,
the son of Edward George Malt and Catherine Davies, who had
married in 1883 at St. Paul’s Church, Kingston Hill, Surrey.
Family
1891 Census |
The 1891 Census records the family living at 6 Brooklands Terrace, Oystermouth. Edward, aged 34 and born in Lambourn, Berkshire, was employed as a domestic coachman. Catherine, 29, came from Sketty. Their children were Edward George (7), born in Chelsea and attending school; Fanny Maria (5); Catherine Louise (2); and infant Walter Henry (7 months). Also present was a boarder, Henry Dawkins, 22, who also worked as a coachman.
1901 Census |
By the 1901 Census, the Malt family remained at 6 Brooklands Terrace. Edward, now 43, worked as a farm labourer, while Catherine was 39. Their children included Edward (17, coachman domestic), Fanny (15), Kate (13), Walter (9), Harriet (8), Harry (5), and Thomas (1 month). Edward died in 1902, leaving Catherine widowed.
1911 Census |
The 1911 Census shows the family at 2 Penyrheol, Sketty. Catherine, now 49, was still head of the household. Walter, aged 20, was employed as a haulier carter. His siblings present were Harriet (19, domestic servant), Harry (16, domestic gardener), and Thomas (11, at school).
Military Service
During the First World War, Walter enlisted with the Royal
Engineers, 318th Road Construction Company (RCC). Road
Construction Companies were responsible for building and maintaining the roads
that kept the army moving, enabling the transport of troops, supplies, and
heavy artillery across devastated landscapes. Their work was vital to
sustaining operations during battles and offensives, and it often took place
under difficult and dangerous conditions close to the front.
The 318th Road Construction Company
appears in official listings of RCCs preserved by The Long, Long Trail.
Records show that in May 1918, the company was stationed at Estrée-Cauchy,
operating under XVIII Corps, in an area heavily affected by the German
Spring Offensive and subsequent Allied counterattacks. Archival notes held by
the Royal Engineers Museum confirm that war diaries survive for April–June
1918, though detailed reports of the company’s work are scarce. A note on
the Great War Forum further suggests that a summary sheet for the unit
exists in the RE Library, covering this same period. These fragments of
evidence indicate that the 318th was engaged in intensive roadbuilding and
repair work at a critical stage of the war. Given Walter Malt’s death in
February 1919, it is likely that the company remained active after the
Armistice, focusing on reconstruction, clearance, and the upkeep of vital
transport routes in France.
Based on the duties of Road Construction Companies more
generally, the 318th RCC would almost certainly have been
involved in repairing roads damaged by shellfire, floods, and heavy traffic;
constructing new roads and bypasses; reinforcing road surfaces to bear the
weight of artillery and supply wagons; and installing drainage systems and
culverts to prevent collapse. They also cleared debris and wreckage, and at
times supported bridging or structural works. Operating under the Corps’
Assistant Director of Roads or senior engineer staff, their contribution was
essential to maintaining the army’s mobility. Even after the Armistice, such
work remained vital for the movement of troops, supplies, and the complex
process of demobilisation.
Death
Army Register of Soldiers' Effects
Lance Corporal Walter Henry Malt died on 18th
February 1919, several months after the Armistice of November 1918.
Although the fighting had ceased, he was still in uniform at the time of his
death.
Burial
Walter Henry Malt St. Roch Communal Cemetery credit - findagrave |
Legacy
Walter’s death illustrates how the toll of the Great War
extended beyond the Armistice. The Termination of the Present War
(Definition) Act 1918 meant that men enlisted “for the duration of the war”
could be retained in service until 31st August 1921, and the
CWGC therefore commemorates all those who died in uniform between 4th
August 1914 and 31st August 1921.
His name is inscribed on St. Paul’s war memorial, a
lasting reminder of those whose service and sacrifice continued even after
peace was declared, and whose memory endures in the community.
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