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Prominently positioned within the grounds of All Saints Anglican Church, Hunters Hill, New South Wales, in a grassed and well tended area, is a polished red Granite Cross with base on a larger, rough cut stone set on a concrete slab -


Born on 1/7/1876, Walter Laishley Spier, Station hand/overseer, came from Melbourne, Victoria and resided in Hunters Hill upon enlistment in the NSWCB. He was appointed Corporal and posted to B Squadron as number 152. Arriving in Beira, the NSWCB travelled to Marendellas and saw patrol duty in Rhodesia. Afterwards, the NSWCB saw action at Elands River (4-16 August, 1900) and later, much more action in the Northern and Western Transvaal.
Prior to departure, many New South Wales contingents had group photographs taken and published in newspapers. B Squadron of NSWCB can be located in Trove; unfortunately, the cut of Walter Laishley Spier was too muddy to do him justice. However, thanks to the Australian Light Horse Studies Centre, a somewhat better portrait of Speir was found - via The Sydney Mail of 3/3/1900. It is reproduced here -

152 Cpl. Spier died of dysentry in the Woodstock Hospital, Cape Town on 23/1/1901 and was buried in Maitland Military Cemetery. He is also commemorated on the Memorial at Ballarat, Victoria.
Appropriately, this early AM of ANZAC Day, 2020, IL did undertake the short walk from his home to Hunters Hill All Saints Church, pause in reflection of the life and times of Walter Laishley Spier, offer a punctilious salute and retrace his footsteps home. A journey Cpl. Spier was unable to take.
Regards to all
IL.

Hello IL

Photo and info with regard to his memorial, taken from the Sydney Mail June 15, 1901





Regards