6th Light Horse & 8th Division Medals Returned to Family - Walter BOOTH
What does the 6th Light Horse Regiment of Great War fame....and the 8th Australian Division, captured in Singapore during World War Two; have in common? That would be the name:- Walter James BOOTH. And a very rare and collectable set of medals, issued to this man for service during two World Wars - have been returned to his family. South Coast man Christopher Heffernan could easily have sold these medals on ebay for a very handsome sum. With a commercial value of $1,500 or more, he returned these medals to the soldier's family - totally free of charge.
After surviving a desert war, Walter re-enlisted for a second time over twenty years later. Only to be captured during the fall of Singapore and become a prisoner of war to the Japanese. He was savagely bashed to the point that he had to be treated by the legendary Doctor, Weary Dunlop and was subsequently mentioned in Weary's biography. And now, Walter's medals are back where they rightfully belong after being lost to his family for over 35 years.
PHOTO RIGHT: Chris Heffernan with the First World War Medals (1914-1915 Star, British War Medal & Victory Medal) in his right hand; and the Second World War Medals (1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, 1939-1945 War Medal and the 1939-1945 Australia Service Medal) in his left hand.
It was a classic example of a widowed man (with children to his first marriage) marrying for a second time; and when he dies - his medals remain with the family of his second wife. If there were no children as a result of this second marriage - then the medals usually remain with a family that has a minimal right to their claim. In this case, when Walter's first wife Edith passed away, he later married Miss Ellie Brogan. Herself a veteran of the Middle East and Pacific Wars, Ellie nursed many POW's at the cessation of hostilities and they were married in 1957.
Thankfully, in this instance - Ellie's nephew Chris made the moral decision, to have the medals returned to Walter's family. He showed the medals to Gary Traynor from Medals Gone Missing and after a number of telephone calls; the family of Trooper (later Staff Sergeant) Walter James BOOTH were located at Copacabana, south-east of Gosford in New South Wales. His son Walter BOOTH (junior) was very shocked to receive this call and only too happy to make the five hour trip south - to retrieve his fathers "lost" medals.
Walter (by his own admission - no longer a young man himself) told the Medals Gone Missing Administrator:- I had never known what happened to dad's medals. Now that we have them back, I will give them to my grandson to wear on Anzac Day. This set of medals, was the first medal set that the Medals Gone Missing team had an association with their return. To be lost from the family for well over 35 years - and then 'found' again through the kind actions of another, was a very welcome result. It is a great feeling, not only for the receiver....but also for the 'giver' - to have something so important returned to the ancestors of a man who served his country so well. 
PHOTO LEFT: Staff Sergeant Walter James BOOTH of the 2/3 Reserve Motor Transport Company, prior to his embarkation for Singapore. You will note that he is wearing the ribbon bar of his First World War campaign medals on his uniform, above his left breast pocket. Like many soldiers who had service during the Great War, Walter put his age down to make himself eligible for service in the Second AIF. Claiming to be 39 years of age upon enlistment, when he was actually 50.
WISH TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AMAZING SERVICE HISTORY OF WALTER JAMES BOOTH? PLEASE SEE HIS FULL STORY IN OUR "ARTICLES OF INTEREST" SECTION.
