William Crawford Walton commanded the 104th Wellesley’s Rifles from 16 Nov 1908 to 6 March 1914. He was also Colonel of the Regiment from 18 Feb 1927 until his death on 9 May 1937.
Walton was born in Karachi on 15 Nov 1864. As a lieutenant he joined the 4th Bombay Rifles as adjutant from 19 June 1891. He had previously been attached to the Intelligence Section of Army HQ. On his arrival he gave a lecture to his fellow officers in which he stressed that Germany was going to make war by 1915, and they had got to see to it that they were in all respects ready. It was with this end in view that he put the regiment through a very strenuous five and half years of training. The regiment were stationed in Quetta and Poona during that time and their shooting and general efficiency were greatly improved. He also insisted on the men learning to swim when they were at Santa Cruz in 1910. This was put to good use when the camp at Basra flooded in May 1915, and when the men were posted to Ashar Creek.
He was appointed ADC to the Governor of Bombay from 1895 and commanded the Viceroy’s Guard in 1900. He went back to the Intelligence branch of Army HQ in 1903 and after 5 years returned to command the regiment in 1908. He retired and handed over command to Lt-Col Clery in 1914, but when War broke out he applied to Lord Kitchener, asking “Get me to do something, even if it’s to serve as a private.” He was given command of the 8th Battalion Royal Berkshires who he trained and led on the Western Front. They fought at Loos in 1916 where he shot two Germans at close range. He commanded the Field Force in Aden in 1917, for which he was mentioned in despatches and appointed CB. He was Inspector of Infantry in South India from 1917 to 1918, and saw field service in Waziristan in 1919. During the latter campaign he met up with the 104th at Dardoni while he was in command of the Bannu Lines of Communication. He was by that time Brigadier-General Walton CB CMG.
Brigadier-General William Walton was married in July 1897 to Emily Mary Rose Lee. They had 4 children.
