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Maurice John Walsh Senior

Obituary typed verbatim

The late Mr. Maurice Walsh, who has passed to his rest in Moosejaw Hospital, Canada, from an attack of pneumonia – a malady to which he nearly succumbed at Sheerness some three decades ago –belonged to an Irish family, noted for its patriotism and its associations with the Royal navy. His father, who was only a few years short of a centenarian at his death, fought in the battle of Navarino which took place just over ninety years ago, and when he threw off this mortal coil at his residence in Alma Road was one of the few remaining survivors of that memorable engagement, in which he helped to serve the guns. Mr. Maurice Walsh was not the only son of this veteran who entered the Navy in the days of his youth—his brother Mr. W. Walsh who died not long since, was a pensioned chief petty officer who served in the Iron Duke or Vanguard, we forget which, when they were in collision in the North Sea on September 1st, 1875 and the Vanguard commanded by Capt. Richard Dawkins, was lost, being rammed by the Iron Duke, which was a sister ironclad. Mr. Maurice Walsh was not mess-man of the officers mess at the Naval Barracks, Sheerness, as was erroneously stated in our last issue—he was master-at-arms in the Royal Navy and was also canteen manager at the Royal Navy Barracks. Mr. Walsh was a popular man in Sheerness in those days, and was elected a member of the Urban District Council, on which he did good service, being very keen in directing attention to neglected portions of the district. He was a good friend of the poor, his purse being ever open to those who were in distress.

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In politics the late Mr. Walsh was a zealous Liberal and an ardent Home Ruler. As might be anticipated, he was a warm supporter of Mr. Sydney Hallifax, the clever young London journalist who fought such a strenuous campaign against Mr. Herbert Knatchbull Hugessen and came very near ousting him from the representation of the North East Kent at an election nearly thirty years ago, only 206 votes separating them at the finish. Mr. Hallifax, as a journalist, naturally had great faith in Press propaganda, and it is no secret in these days to say that whilst he had a fair treatment from both the Sheerness local newspapers, neither of them were enthusiastic in his support. To help his cause a Faversham newspaper essayed the attempt to become a divisional newspaper but found the “East Kent Gazette”, the “Sheerness Guardian” and the “Sheerness Times” too strongly entrenched in popular favour to shake their positions in the slightest and in the end the attempt proved a failure, as a previous effort by the Conservatives to establish a paper had done and as a later attempt also resulted. The late Mr. Maurice Walsh was the means of saving the Faversham journal from a gigantic “sell” which would have caused much genuine amusement locally had the “copy” appeared. The enterprising editor, with the view of popularising his paper, offered a prize of half -a-crown for the best paragraph of news from Sheerness. A local wag sent him a “par” of a presentation to Dr. Scott—a very popular fleet surgeon of Sheerness Dockyard, who was responsible for the name of “Pneumonia Bridge” as applied to the walk between the “bridges” and who, had a century ago, said that a tunnel ought to be constructed between the two towns to avoid this walk in wintry weather. When Dr. Scott left Sheerness he was presented with a testimonial from the dockyard employees, and although the event occurred at least 25 years earlier the paragraph was published as if it had occurred on the previous Saturday. Of course the hoax gave rise to much fun locally, but matters did not end there. The next week the journal appeared with a paragraph concerning some Sheppey footballers—Sheppey United F.C. was then working its way into fame—who would not be able to appear in a match of great importance which was to take place on the day following publication. This also was a hoax, and it was in regard to the third week’s proceedings in connection with the half-crown prize that the late Mr. Maurice Walsh came on the scene.

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