Ernest Walter Davie Western

(02 Feb, 1901 - 19 Dec, 1952)

Ernest Walter Davie Western was the first son of Walter Western (1871 - 1936) and Elizabeth Ann Heard (1875 - 1952). Walter was born to a large family in Thorverton, Devon in 1871, and by the time he was 17 in 1888, he had followed in his older brother's footsteps and joined the Royal Engineers. In October 1899, Corporal Walter Western, RE, married Elizabeth Ann Heard (daughter of James Heard) at the Brompton Barracks in Kent. About 16 months later, while Walter and Ann were stationed in Gibraltar, their first son Ernest Walter Davie Western was born.

His middle name of 'Davie' comes from his father's mother's side of the family. His paternal grandmother was Ann Davie, daughter of Richard Dave, a wealthy builder from Devon.

Ernest Walter Davie (EWD) Western and his mother had relocated back to Exeter, Devon, by the time his brother, William Henry Western, was born in 1902. The family moved several times before EWD's youngest sibling, Edward "Ted" James Western was born in Medway, England, in 1909.

Walter Western, Elizabeth, Ernest, William, and "Ted"

The photograph to the right shows Walter Western seated next to his wife Elizabeth Ann, circa 1919. To Elizabeth's left is her youngest child, Edward "Ted" James Western. At the time of this photo Edward James was a student at Colfe's Grammar School, in Lewisham, S.E. London, and the only son who did not follow a military career.

On the left of the photo, standing behind Walter is William Henry Western born in 1902. Like his father, William joined the Royal Engineers as a boy soldier, and by 1943 had achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He received postings in Egypt, Palestine and Africa.

Standing tall in the center is Ernest Walter Davie Western. He was "... educated at Simon Langton School, Canterbury, in 1918. He passed the entrance exam to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, 1919 and was commissioned into the 2nd Battalion Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment."

By 1927 he had been appointed Adjutant to the Regiment at its depot in Maidstone, Kent. In 1932, he was seconded to the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force, and transferred to the Gold Coast (now Ghana) in Western Africa. .

It was here that he met Pamela Rachael Petrides, the daughter of Sir Philip "Bertie" Petrides the Chief Justice of the Gold Coast (1936 - 1943). They were subsequently married in Westminster, England in the fall of 1937. Ernest and Pamela had three children, Caroline, Pamela, and Christopher.

EWD's career was progressing and in 1939 he was commanding the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Gold Coast Infantry Brigade. In late 1940, the Brigade was re-designated the 24th (Gold Coast) Infantry Brigade.

The Brigade was involved in the East African Campaign against the forces of the Italian Colonial Empire in Kenya under the command of Brigadier Collen Edward Melville Richards and was attached to the 2nd (African) Division. During the East African Campaign, the brigade was part of Andrew Cunningham's force which attacked from Kenya into Italian Somaliland and then advanced into Ethiopia. After the campaign, in December 1941, the brigade returned to West Africa and was reorganized as an independent brigade group (with attached engineer and artillery units) and designated 2nd (West African) Infantry Brigade.

When the 2nd West African Infantry Brigade was reorganized, EWD was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).

In October 1942 command of the brigade passed to EDW (now a Brigadier), who was to remain in this role until March 1945. In 1944, the brigade was reorganized once more as an infantry brigade, and the 2nd (West African) was attached to the 82nd (West Africa) Division. The brigade sailed for Ceylon, where the complete division was assembled on July 20, 1944. They then moved to Burma and took part in the Burma Campaign 1944-1945 (the third Arakan Campaign) in December, 1944.

Early in the campaign, Brigadier EWD Western advanced his troops south along the Kalapanzin valley, then crossed a steep and jungle-covered mountain range to converge with the British 81st (West Africa) Division on Myohaung at the mouth of the Kaladan River. This move forced the Japanese to evacuate the Mayu peninsula which they had held for almost four years, and retreat south along the coast. The Brigade continued to advance and maintain pressure on the Japanese, and captured the port of Gwa shortly before the Japanese abandoned Burma. Further information on the Brigade's activities in Burma can be found at the website Burma Star

Brigadier EWD Western was wounded in March 1945 and posted back to the headquarters in India.

Between 1946 and 1951 he commanded the 2nd Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment in Germany and the 129th Infantry Brigade in Oxford. In 1951 he was posted to Kenya to command troops in the Northern Area which was the center of the Mau Mau rebellion of late 1952. In September of 1952, while on local leave, he suffered a heart attack and died in hospital at Malindi, Mombassa in December of 1952.

Last updated : 12/06/2008