Photo: Illustrated Chronicle

2nd Lieutenant Walter Winkworth, 5th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, died of wounds on the 26th August 1915 at 32 years of age and his remains are buried in grave I. C. 130 of Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France.

He was the son of Walter Albert (1857 – 1927) and Maria Louisa Munroe Winkworth (nee Simon) (1859 – 1933). They were married in 1881 in Newcastle Upon Tyne and had at least three children:
•Walter Winkworth (b 1883)
•Leonard Stuart Winkworth (b 1889)
•Elsie Maud Winkworth (b 1893)

The Winkworths appear to have had a good standard of living because at his death in 1927 Walter Albert left £3751 10s 2d in his will and his wife Maria in turn left £5373 13s 4d to her two remaining children Leonard and Elsie.

The records suggest that Walter was unmarried and had no children. In his will he left £307 16s to his father Walter Albert Winkworth, a substantial amount for 1915.

Walter was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1883 and in the 1911 Census was single and working as an Electrical Engineer. He was living with his parents, brother Leonard and sister Elsie at 22, Simonside Terrace, Heaton, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Walter was a Freemason and member of Lodge Temperance No 2557 which held its meetings in the Old Assembly Rooms, Westgate Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

At the Lodge Temperance meeting of 20th September 1915, the Worshipful Master WBro. John Harris made sympathetic reference to the loss the Lodge had sustained in the death of Bro Lieut. Walter Winkworth who had been killed in action in Flanders. The brethren stood in sympathy.

Interestingly, two years earlier at the Lodge meeting of 20th January 1913 Bro Fred W. Simon proposed and Bro W. Newton seconded on behalf of Walter Winkworth, Walter’s brother Leonard Stuart Winkworth, age 24 years, a draughtsman residing at 22 Simonside Terrace. Leonard was initiated on 21st April, passed on 19th May and raised on 21st July 1913. This was very much a family affair as Bro Fred W. Simon was Walter and Leonard’s uncle (their mum’s younger brother) and would become master of the Lodge in November 1913.

From the Illustrated Chronicle of Monday 30/08/1915:

5th Northumberland Fusiliers
Second Lieutenant W. Winkworth, Heaton (killed).

His name is inscribed on the Simon family headstone in Byker and Heaton Cemetery, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

The headstone also lists Ethel Maud Simon, Mary Helen Simon and Sarah W. Gillings, Walter’s aunts, Rev. Joseph Simon, Walter’s grandfather, and Frederick William Simon, Walter’s uncle.

Walter Winkworth is remembered on the Scouts First World War Roll of Honour as being the "late Scoutmaster of the 19th Newcastle-on-Tyne Troop, and Divisional Scoutmaster for East End Division of the Newcastle-on-Tyne Association.

Walter Winkworth is remembered at Heaton on H91.05 and H91.41 in Newcastle on NUT070, NUT126 and NUT254 and in Walker on W2.07

Scouts First World War Roll of Honour
Masonic Great War Project Roll of Honour
The CWGC entry for 2nd Lieutenant Winkworth