In the picturesque cemetery of St Mary’s Church, Mortehoe, Devon, is a headstone commemorating Walter Stuart Thompson. The stone notes that he died on the 16th April 1920, and that he was in his 29th year. He is recorded as being the youngest son of the late Reverend Walter Thompson from West Didsbury, Lancashire. His mother is also noted as being buried with him.

A baptism record for Christ Church, Didsbury, confirms that Walter was christened on 22nd November 1891, and gives his parents’ names as Walter and Mary Elizabeth Thompson. The family do not appear in any census records but, given that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records note that Walter was a Lieutenant in the 2nd King Edward’s Own Gurkha Rifles, it is possible that they emigrated in the years following his birth.

During the First World War, Lieutenant Thompson’s regiment fought on the Western Front, in Egypt and in India. As his service records no longer exist, it is unclear when or how Walter served, but it is clear that he survived the conflict, and returned to Britain at the end of the war.

What the connection was to Devon is again unclear, although it seems possible that Walter was sent there for health reasons. His passing does not appear in any contemporary newspapers, so is unlikely to have been anything out of the ordinary.

The life of Walter Stuart Thompson, therefore, is destined to remain a mystery, buried with him in the tranquil cemetery on the north Devon coast.

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