Charles William Walker (19 February 1909 – 18 December 1942) was a cricketer who played for South Australia. A specialist wicket-keeper and right-handed batsman, Walker was born in Brompton, an inner-suburb of Adelaide. Nicknamed "Chilla",Pollard, J. (1988) ''Australian Cricket: The Game and its Players'', Angus & Robertson Publishers, Sydney. Walker started his cricket career for the local Coglin Street Mission Cricket Club before making his Adelaide Grade cricket debut for West Torrens Cricket Club and later transferring to

Prospect Cricket Club Prospect Cricket Club (the "Pirates") are a Grade Cricket team located in Adelaide, South Australia. Prospect competes in the South Australian Grade Cricket League, administered by the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA). 'A' Grade playe ...

.West Torrens District Cricket Club . Retrieved 15 January 2008. Walker made his first-class debut for South Australia at the end of the 1928/29 season, making eights dismissals (three caught and five stumped), and his form in the 1929/30 season, including four stumpings and three catches in a match against the touring English side, led to his inclusion in the 1930 Australian tour of England. Unfortunately for Walker, a succession of finger injuries hampered his chances during the tour and he missed the 1934 England tour. Chosen for the 1938 Ashes tour of England, Walker again suffered a succession of injuries and did not play in a Test.

Military service and death

Walker enlisted in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

on 3 February 1941 and gained the rank of Flying Officer. Assigned to the 14 Operational Training Unit, Walker served as an air gunner. On 17 December 1942, the

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...

that Walker was serving on was shot down in the area of

Soltau Soltau () is a mid-sized town in the Lüneburg Heath in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has around 22,000 inhabitants. The city is centrally located in the Lüneburg Heath and is known nationwide especially for its touri ...

, killing Walker and everybody else aboard.

Personal life

Walker's sister May represented South Australia in netball while May's husband Bob Quinn was a leading

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er with

Port Adelaide Football Club Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed ...

.Porter, A. (2008) "Bob Quinn - A Legend who Stuck by his Mates", The Independent Weekely, 28 April 2008 Walker's cousin

Ron Hamence Ronald Arthur Hamence (25 November 1915 – 24 March 2010) was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. A short and compact right-handed batsman, Hamence excelled in getting forward to drive and had an array of attractive back ...

was a member of

Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...

's '' Invincibles''.ed. Cashman, R. et al. (1997)''The A-Z of Australian cricketers'', Oxford University Press: Melbourne. The

South Australian Cricket Association The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) is the peak body for the sport of cricket in South Australia. The association administers the Southern Redbacks based in Adelaide. SACA is the controlling body for the South Australian Grade Cri ...

now presents the Charlie Walker Trophy to the best wicket-keeper in Adelaide Grade Cricket. Walker's nephew Greg Quinn won the award seven times.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Charlie 1909 births 1942 deaths Australian cricketers South Australia cricketers Prospect cricketers Royal Australian Air Force officers Aviators killed by being shot down Australian military personnel killed in World War II Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1942 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Germany Wicket-keepers D. G. Bradman's XI cricketers