Major Roderick William Walker TD* Royal Corps of Signals
The Man Roderick William Walker was born on 9th July 1920 in Newcastle Upon Tyne son of Alexander and Elsie A nee Hands. In about 1938 aged 18, Roderick enlisted into the Royal Corps of Signals Territorial Army with service number 2581420 and was mobilised following the outbreak of World War II on 3rd September 1939. He saw service at home during the War being promoted to Sergeant and awarded the Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45. He was also awarded the Efficiency Medal ‘Territorial’ in Army Order 26 of 1947, followed by the first clasp as a Staff Quartermaster Sergeant in Army Order 137 of 1955, seeming to have remained in, or re-enlisted into the TA. In 1945 Roderick was shown as living 66 Lovaine Place, Newcastle where he lived for the next few years with his mother Elsie, possibly taking lodgers as several different people also resided at the property over the years. It appears Roderick’s profession was electrical engineering as on 24th July 1957 he was Commissioned into the Royal Corps of Signals as Lieutenant (Technical Officer Telecommunications) and promoted to Captain on 24th July 1963. During 1967 Roderick was transferred from the TA into the newly created Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve, retaining his seniority. In 1969 he was awarded the Efficiency Decoration ‘T&AVR’ and promoted acting Major on 24th July. He also married Elizabeth A Williams in Coventry during the third quarter of 1969 aged 49. Roderick was promoted to substantive Major on 26th March 1974 aged 53 and awarded the first clasp to his ED in 1976. The same year on 23rd July just following his 56th Birthday Roderick Retired from the T&AVR thus ending 38 years in the reserve forces. It is not known how Roderick’s marriage to Elizabeth ended, but during the second quarter of 1996 aged 76 he re-married, to Irene P Murphy (or Pittaway) in Banbury. Roderick was also a Freemason in Northumberland and l lived at 10 Westwood Avenue, North Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne. He died on 6th December 2005 in Newcastle aged 85. It seems that Irene pre-deceased him as no mention of her was made in his will and his cousin Barbara Davidson was made an executor.
The Story The medals awarded to Roderick William Walker were acquired from e bay on 2nd October 2020 and of interest because of the Efficiency Medal, Efficiency Decoration ‘T&AVR’ combination. Whilst not the first such in this collection, see Peter Hampson, it is the first that has an additional clasp on both awards, making it desirable. The usual Ancestry.UK, FWR, and London Gazette searches provided some extra detail to allow Roderick’s brief biography to be compiled.
Medal Details:
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- Efficiency Decoration and clasp: 1969 and 1976
- Efficiency Medal: 2581420 SJT R.W.WALKER. R.SIGS.
This page last updated 15 Oct 20