ACKERS, WALTER
Rank:
Service No:
Date of Death:
Age:
Regiment/Service:
Grave Reference:
Rank:
Service No:
Date of Death:
Age:
Regiment/Service:
Grave Reference:
Guardsman
2723046
17/09/1944
22
Irish Guards 2nd Bn.
II. B. 2.
Additional information:
Walter Ackers was born April 20th 1922 and served during the war as a crewmember of an tank from the Irish Guards. On the 17th of September 1944 his tank was part of an operation called “Market Garden”. The Irish Guards broke out of there bridgehead at Lommel Belgium in their race to reach Arnhem. In the first minutes of the operation 9 tanks of the Irish Guards were ambushed on the road toward Valkenswaard. Walter Ackers his tank was one of them.
From the service records of Walter Ackers, the following account can be reconstructed.
Walter Ackers was born on 20 April 1922 in Pemberton, Wigan, Lancashire. In civilian life he worked as an electric welder. He was not married.
He enlisted in the British Army on 13 October 1941 and joined the Irish Guards.
Walter Ackers embarked for service in North West Europe on 1 July 1944.
According to his service records, he was 5 feet 11¼ inches tall, with dark brown hair and brown eyes.
Walter Ackers was killed in action on 17 September 1944.
Above:
Memorial inside Highfield church, Pemberton, UK.
Small bible which belonged to Walter Ackers.
Nephew of Walter holding a drive sprocket of one of the 9 knocked out tanks of the Irish Guards, during the exposition of our foundation in 2019.