Talk:Frederic John Walker

message: *1) Of what exactly did he die? a heart attack?
*2) In which boat did his son die?
Bastie 23:10, 27 October 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  First comment 

message: There was some sort of memorial to him in either Litherland or Bootle town hall, I htink it may have been the flags flown as the General Chase signal.  I don't remember exact details as it is some years snce I was their during a reception hosted by the then Mayor of Sefton for members of the Sefton Youth Wind Orchestra.  Hardly meets NOR criteria at the moment, but perhaps someone else could find out more.  David Underdown 13:44, 18 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes, and  there's an exhibit in the Merseyside Maritime Museum, too. It's mentioned on the General chase page. Xyl 54 (talk) 13:28, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Other memorials 

message: My 1956 copy of his biography, Walker, R.N. consistently refers to his first name as Frederic rather than Frederick (which is the spelling used in the article).  In the introduction, the author thanks Walker's wife (to whom the book is dedicated) for her time and access to her late husband's documents, along with a lengthy list of other people who knew Walker personally.  One of the photos in the book is of a commemorative plaque commissioned by the crew of HMS Starling after his death that also uses the name Frederic.  It seems unlikely to me that a biographer having access to primary sources, or Walker's own crew, would spell his name incorrectly. Incidently most of the text of the book can be found on the BBC website at  Jll 19:46, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: This issue seems to be very confused.  The ODNB, artilce gives his name as Frederick, but his father's name as Frederic, and entries in the London Gazette also seem to be inconsistent.  David Underdown (talk) 11:58, 24 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Walker's first name

message: There are several references to Walker "flying his flag", since he was only a captain this can't be strictly accurate, only admirals can do that (I thought).  David Underdown 08:54, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: The phrasing may be incorrect here.  In command of a group of other vessels, whether you had command of your own vessel or a captain under you, I believe would make one a commodore.  I believe commodore in the Royal Navy is an honorary rank, and though a commodore has a flag designating the command of the group, it would not go with the captain in overall command once his duties in the group were concluded.  Thus he would have a flag while in command of the group but he would not have been promoted to "flag rank".  I think that would be the reasoning here, though I do not have sourcing for this particular case.Gunbirddriver (talk) 02:46, 16 November 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: World War 2

message: :Image:Frederick John Walker RN.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
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BetacommandBot (talk) 21:26, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Fair use rationale for Image:Frederick John Walker RN.jpg

message: I’ve made a couple of changes:
2SG was a support group, not a hunter-killer group; HK groups were a USN thing. The difference between HK's and SG's reflects the different attitudes to convoy escort between the RN and the USN. 
And the tactic Walker is famous for was the creeping attack, while the text described a barrage attack, which was a bit different. 
Xyl 54 (talk) 13:15, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Recent edits 

message: This section says
"...where he embarked aboard destroyer Hesperus commanded by Captain Donald Macintyre for his final journey to be buried at sea"
and cites MacIntyres book “U Boat Killer”. 
I haven’t got a copy to hand, but I don’t remember him saying he commanded for this voyage; MacIntyre had moved to command Bickerton by this time, and Hesperus was commanded by GV Legassick.
Can anyone check this? Xyl 54 (talk) 18:54, 14 August 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Last voyage 

message: In a desire to help improve this article, I offer the following for those of you who would like some fresh, supported material to edit with: It is stated in this article that Captain Walker's remains were carried by HMS Hesperus, under the command of Donald MacIntyre, RN. In MacIntyre's book, "U-Boat Killer" (Bantam edition, 1979) he writes (p. 156): "... I received orders... in March, 1944, to leave my faithful Hesperus and take command of one of these [new escort type] frigates, the Bickerton...". Frederic John Walker died 9 July 1944. Continuing in MacIntyres book, he further writes (p. 166): "It was a great satisfaction to me that when that greatest of U-Boat killers was buried at sea, it was in my gallant Hesperus that he made his last journey down the Mersey...Hesperus... was worthy of him."  As MacIntyre was already commanding HMS Bickerton at the time of Captain Walker's death, and as HMS Bickerton was his last seagoing command, it is certain that Captain MacIntyre is speaking nostalgically regarding "his" old ship; MacIntyre was the first Captain of HMS Hesperus, having taken her into commission from the builders (Thornycrofts), making him what is known in Naval circles as a "plank owner" (being an original crew member of a ship upon its commissioning), and having Captained her during two separate periods of her commission, in very trying circumstances during the Battle of the Atlantic.  Perhaps an edit to the effect that Walker's remains were carried out to sea by HMS Hesperus, a veteran destroyer of the Battle of the Atlantic, previously commanded by Captain Donald MacIntyre, RN, with links provided to existing pages for HMS Hesperus and Donald MacIntyre (Royal Navy Officer).67.142.163.37 (talk) 23:07, 16 April 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks for that; I'll take it out. Xyl 54 (talk) 23:24, 19 April 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Walker, Hesperus, and MacIntyre 

message: The article says he was born in 1896. It also says he joined the Navy _as an officer_ in 1909. Can he really have been an officer in the Navy at age 13? I know they made kids work as chimney sweeps back in the day, but this seems ludicrous!  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.242.167.154 (talk) 14:49, 20 July 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes, he was 13, according to this; but as his first ship (as Sub-Lt) was when he was 18, I’m guessing he was at RN College as a teenager (maybe as Midshipman). The two above him on the page (Waldegrave, Wake-Walker), joined at the same age, so there doesn't seem to be anything unusual about it. Xyl 54 (talk) 21:49, 21 July 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: His Age. Time He Joined the Navy. Discrepancies?

message: In the introduction Walker is described as "the most successful anti-submarine warfare commander during the Battle of the Atlantic"... but surely this must make him the most  successful anti-submarine commander ever?  Or if not who was and shouldn't there be a link from here?86.167.209.240 (talk) 21:02, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
thread_title: Greatest anti-submarine commander ever?

message: My late father was Merchant Navy and served on at least one of Walker's convoys. He did mention that if a ship was torpedoed the other ships were to immediately fire off any rockets in the hope that this light up the area and catch the attacking U boat while it was still surfaced.
Apparently this idea worked for a while and several U boats were seen and sucessfully attacked by the convoy escorts but eventually the Germans realised what was happening and attacked while still submerged.AT Kunene 123 (talk) 11:07, 26 September 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  pyrotechnics