Crimean War Victoria Cross Recipient. Born at Gore Port, Finea, in County Westmeath, the son of a Captain in the British Army, he was educated at Arlington House in Portarlington, County Laois, and, in 1846, joined the 30th Foot Regiment. Over the next few years, he served in the Ionian Islands and in Gibraltar. In February 1854, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant; in May the same year, on the outbreak of the Crimean War, the regiment left for Scutari. On September 20, 1854, at the Battle of the Alma, Walker had his horse shot from under him and was wounded in the chest, but made the march to Balaklava and was present at its capture. The following day, the advance was made to the Inkerman Heights. On November 5th, at the Battle of Inkerman, as two battalions of Russian infantry were approaching, Lieutenant Walker realized that his troops were becoming nervous; so, at the crucial moment, he jumped over the wall and called for his troops to follow him, with their bayonets fixed. The Russians were panic-stricken by this sudden appearance and, in spite of the threats of their superior officers, retreated in disorder, with Lieutenant Walker and his troops in pursuit. This incident led to his being awarded the Victoria Cross, the announcement being made on the June 2, 1858 in the London Gazette. Throughout the Winter of 1854, Lieutenant Walker served in the trenches. On April 21, 1855, he volunteered to lead a party which destroyed a Russian rifle-pit, for which he was mentioned in dispatches and promoted into the East Kent Regiment, known as "The Buffs." On the night of June 9th, he was in the trenches when he was wounded by a piece of howitzer shell, and he had to have his right arm amputated the same night. He was sent home in July and, after six months recuperation, joined the depot at Winchester. The following year, the depot was sent to Ireland. In July 1858, the Buffs were sent to the Ionian Islands, and it was in Corfu, in November, that Walker was presented with his Victoria Cross by General Sir George Buller. The same month, the regiment was sent to India; but, after one year there, Walker and part of the regiment were sent to Canton. During the Chinese War, Walker was present at the capture of Chusan, the Battle of Sinho, the surrender of Peking, and the signing of the peace treaty. The Buffs returned to England in 1861. Although they went back to India in 1867, Walker remained in charge of the depot at home; but, in 1871, went to serve in the Sub-Continent. In December 1873, he was appointed to the command of the 45th Regiment (Sherwood Foresters) at Rangoon. He returned to England in November 1879. He became a General in February 1893, retired in April that year, and, on the 3rd of June, was appointed a Knight Commander of the Bath. He died at Arlington Rectory, and was buried on July 26, 1902, at Folkestone. He is buried four graves from the West and eight from the North, in the section just to the right (West) and one section South from the main entrance. There is, also, a memorial tablet to him in the nave of Canterbury Cathedral. His Victoria Cross is held by the National Army Museum in Chelsea, South-West London.