There is a fuller write up on the Yates murder and involvement of Walter Russell Johnson on this web site here and here .
Johnson's Officer Record in TNA does not cover the questions that are raised by his involvement in the murder trial. Johnson had an army career that was both brilliant and problematical. He was a highly competent and efficient officer whose career was almost certainly blighted by his sexuality. Although he did not receive the promotion that he might have expected (hence his appeal to the king) he did receive honours (CBE DSO) and also moved up the pecking order in the Reserve from TF to IARO to the ultimate mark of ‘professional’ approval, the RARO. One can see in WW1 that he had a problem in 1916, when he was sent back to England from the front after his commanding officer deemed him unfit to command. And in Jul/Sep 1918 when there are 3 strange demotions/retrospective moves and by 1918 Nov. he felt he was passed over for promotion and unsuccessfully appealed to the King to be reinstated. But he was back to commanding a battalion by Sep 1918 when he won his DSO, and later had staff jobs in Russia (where he was awarded CBE and Mesopotamia) but on his return from Baghdad, gave up his commission and enlisted as a Private. Eventually getting back a commission as Lt-Col in RARO
1888 Aug 7 Born son of son of Walter Johnson, The Cedars, Upper Clapton, London. His father was knighted in Kings Birthday Honours of 1905 (he had been Mayor of Hackney during Coronation year)
1891 census at The Cedars, High Rd , Clapham
Attended St Christopher's, Eastbourne.
1901 census, he is at boarding school in Eastbourne
1902 Sep. Attended Sherborne School (School House) September 1902-April 1905.
1906 Feb 5. Commissioned 2nd Lt - 4th Volunteer Battalion. The Essex Regiment;Walter Russell Johnson, Gentleman, to be Second Lieutenant.
1908 Apr 1. The 7th Bat Essex Regt. The undermentioned officers, from the 4th Volunteer Battalion, are appointed to .the battalion,with rank and precedence as in the Volunteer Force. Dated 1st April, 1908 : Lt Walter Russell Johnson,
1912 Mar 20 7th Battalion, The Essex Regiment; Captain Walter R. Johnson is seconded under the conditions of paragraph 114 of the Territorial Force Regulations.
1912 May 2. Arrived Ellis Island, New York on SS Cedric apparently to immigrate. His father is Sir W Johnson of The Cedars, Clapham, His description as "Gentleman" is crossed out by US immigration and replaced by "Farmer". He is going to Arcadia, Florida
1913 Becomes MD of Florida Orange & Grape Fruit Groves
1914 Apr 2. He is given in a newspaper report as to take control of the Four Barrow Hounds next season
1915 Aug 8 Lands in Gallipoli
1915 Mar 5 He becomes co-owner of Cheriton Otter Hunt
1915 Jun 3. 7th Battalion, The Essex Regiment. Captain Walter R. Johnson to be temporary Major. Dated 3rd June, 1915
1915 Jun 3 Essex Regt . Capt. (temp. Maj.) W. R. Johnson to be. Maj. 3rd June 1915
1916, he was sent back to England from the front after his commanding officer deemed him unfit to command. The fuller correspondence is here - but nub of it was that Johnson thought that he should have been given command of the battalion and not an officer from another regiment. This led to "constant friction" between him and his OC which eventually resulted in his OC asking for Johnson to be removed. Johnson returned to UK and 4th Reserve Battalion of Essex Regt
1916 Aug 17. Writing from UK he appeals against his sending home from Egypt, and asks for a full investigation.
1916 Oct 12. He is owner of Riverdale Harriers
1916 Nov 11. Joins 4th Reserve Essex in UK with the black mark against his name "Does not support his OC Loyally" . 3/4th, 3/5th, 3/6th and 3/7th Battalions of Essex Regt were formed at home bases in May 1915. Moved to Windsor Great Park in August 1915 and went on to Halton Park in the October. 8 April 1916 : became 4th to 7th Reserve Bns. 1 September 1916 : 4th Reserve Bn absorbed all the others. By August 1917 had moved to Crowborough and went on in August 1918 to Hastings. If he was not given another assignment, then he would have been based as below
His movements in 1917 and early 1918 are difficult to follow, the only clue is is somewhat rambling letter to the king asking to be re-instated to command of 9th Essex which indicates
1918 Feb 13 Engaged to Beatrice Shead (she was looking after his hounds). She married someone else in 1926
1918 Jun 5. 7th Bn., Essex Regt.—Maj. W. R. Johnson to be Lt.-Col.., with precedence as from 8th June 1918. LG 5th Dec. 1918.
1918 Sep 18 Awarded DSO for an action at Ephey (Gazetted in 1919 Jul 30)
1918 Sep 21. Trouble with the hounds at Hailsham Harriers
1918 Oct 12. Handed over command of battalion
1918 Nov. he felt he was passed over for promotion and unsuccessfully appealed to the King to be reinstated. A bit the same as his problem in Egypt in 1916, he felt as an Essex man , the battalion should have an Essex OC, and he was the man for the job.
1919 Jun 25 to 24 Oct 1919 . Comdt. on the Lines of Communication (CLZ).—Lt.-Col. W. R. Johnson, C.B.E.,D.S.O., 7th Essex R., T.F., {Substituted for the notification in the Gazette of 19h Feb. 1920.}
1919 Aug 9. A list of the deployment of Archangel Forces gives him in Command of Lines of Communication for the whole force. He is based at Ust Padenga (about 150km south of Archangel) , and was responsible for 916 men, covering Railway and River Communication
1919 Sep 24 Recommended for a regular commission while at Archangel
1919 Oct 25 Relinquishes his staff appointment in Archangel
1919 Nov 11 CBE Awarded for services in Archangel
1919 Nov He queries his demobilisation with the War Office, but they decide to continue with demobilising him
1919 Dec 3. His post Russia Protection Certificate shows his address as Walton Hall, Purleigh, Essex
1920 May 4. The KING has approved the grant of temporary commissions in the Indian Army Res.of Officers to the following officers, with effect from the dates specified: —To be Captains .Walter Russell-Johnson, D.S.O. 4th May1920, but to rank from 4th Aug. 1918.
1920 Jul 7 Marine Yates was murdered in Ireland by Marine Helmore
1920 Oct 13 The KING has been graciously pleased to confer the Territorial Decoration upon the undermentioned Officers under the terms of the Royal Warrant . 7th Bn., Essex R.— Lt.-Col. Walter R. Johnson, C.B.E., D.S.O
1921 Jan 11. Johnson's military pay stops as he takes up civil appointment in Baghdad with Civil Commissioner
1921 May 6 Helmore's sentence for murder commuted to life imprisonment and he was sent to Maidstone Prison. He was eventually released and died in Ireland in 1974
Living in Baghdad. He had been Military Secretary to the High Commissioner of Mesopotamia in Baghdad. The British High Commission in Baghdad was the centre of government of post-War Iraq. The High Commissioner was the senior government official. The Military Secretary to the High Commissioner would have had administrative oversight of British military affairs in Iraq. Presumably also a conduit between the command structures of the British Forces in Iraq and the High Commission.
It seems likely that he was either known to the Commissioner of Mesopotamia in Baghdad, and appointed on the basis of mutual regard (perhaps even sexual connection), or someone else was pulling in a favour on his behalf and getting him the appointment. Military Secretaries were (and still are) ‘personal appointments’ that have to be agreed with the senior personage concerned. The military secretary appointment dealt with the career management of all army officers within the Baghdad command, liasing with Horse Guards accordingly and was also the personal military staff officer of the Commissioner.
1921 Jul 25 Newspapers report that he had arrived on P&O liner Kashgar at Plymouth
1921 Jul/Sep Married to Fanny Elizabeth Tuck
1921 Aug . A letter arrived at the Admiralty from a London law firm: R Voss & Son asking for copies of the court martial paperwork. They had been instructed by a Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Russell Johnson to look at the case again and make sure that all the facts had been considered. The reason given by Voss & Co was that Helmore had served under him and was well known to him. However, there is no evidence of this. Helmore was 13 when the war broke out, so it is unlikely that he joined the army in the period between August 1914 and October 1918 when he joined the Marines.
From Nicola Hallam Johnson said he had received a letter from Helmore in 1920 with a full statement of events and he had advised him to tell the Prisoner's Friend (the officer appointed to defend him) so that the facts could be laid before the court. Johnson heard nothing more and assumed all was well. It was only when he returned to England (this was 25 Jul 1921) that he found out the result of the trial from Helmore’s parents. They had spent a great deal of their savings in their efforts to help their son but with the arrival of Lt Col Johnson they decided to leave it in his hands. Voss said Lt Col Johnson was anxious to help due to his personal knowledge of the prisoner and his excellence of character. Johnson visited Helmore in Maidstone Prison and realised that the court had not heard the true facts behind the case.
In October 1921 Voss & Son provided the Admiralty with Helmore's full statement. There were several points they wanted to bring to the attention of the Admiralty:
Underlieing the statement is the implication that Yates and Helmore were involved in a homosexual relationship and ultimately the break up of this relationship was the reason for the murder . Voss submitted that had the full facts been known at the court martial Helmore would have been found guilty of manslaughter only on the grounds of justifiable homicide. The Admiralty refused to accept this, and so Voss persevered with investigations and got a statement another messmate of Helmore's called Smith that Lt Col Johnson had tracked down. Smith confirmed that he believed there was a homosexual relationship. The Admiralty then decided decided that Helmore’s sentence would be reviewed after he had served five years. Assuming good behaviour this meant he should have been released in around 1926. There is no note on the court martial paperwork to confirm the date he was eventually released.
1921 Sep 30 . 7th Bn., Essex Regt .Lt.-Col. W. R. Johnson,C.B.E., D.S.O., T.D, relinquishes his commn., under A.O.166/21, as amended by A.O. 332/21, and retains the rank of Lt.-Col., with permission to wear the prescribed uniform. This appeared on 2 May 1922 and a later LG states "7th Bn., Essex B. — The announcement regarding Lt.-Col. W. E. Johnson, C.B.E.,D.S.O., T.D., which appeared in the Gazette of the 2nd May 1922, is cancelled"
1921 May 20 Registered purchase of land at 47 Moyes St , London. Gives his profession as Lt Col once in HM Army
1922 Apr Newspapers report the Lt-Col Russell Johnson arrived Plymouth from Basra on Frankenfels. This appears to be the end of his posting to Baghdad
1923 Feb 16. 7th Bn., Essex R.—Lt.-Col. W. B. Johnson,C.B.E., D.S.O., T.D., resigns his cominn.,on enlistment into the ranks. 16th Feb.1923
1923 Sep 16 Up in court for molesting a girl and a boy in a cinema (cutting)
1924 Mar 6. Walter Russell Johnson, C.B.E., D.S.O.,T.D., late Lt.-Col., T.A. Res., to be Maj. 6th Mar. 1924, with seniority 26th July 1918.
1926 Jun 6, RARO, Maj. W. R. Johnson, C.B.E., D.S.O.,T.D., (late Lt.-Col. T.A. Res.), to be Lt.-Col. 6th June 1926
1928 May 3 Manager of Palace Playhouse Southport
1928 Sep Born at Ormskirk, only daughter of the marriage Florence Margaret (she married in 1953)
1928 Sep 19 He is succeeded by another manager at the Majestic Playhouse, Liverpool
1929 Feb 18 Forms a new pack of Beagles at Buxton
Lived at Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia (now Kabwe, Zambia).
1939 Register Living at Henley Oxfordshire England Occupation P W D Northern Rhodesia also RARO. Married but no family living here. Is wife is living with a member of her Tuck family in Weston Super Mare
1940 Jan 9. Died. CWGC Aged 51 Civilian War Dead C B E, D S O, T D Lt -Col (retd.). of Riverbank, Shiplake-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Son of the late Sir Walter Johnson, J.P., of The Cedars, Upper Clapton, London; husband of Fanny Elizabeth Russell-Johnson.
The ocean liner Dunbar Castle (Capt. H. A. Causton) was on a voyage from London to Beira with a crew of 150 and 48 passengers in convoy. On January 9th, 1940, she struck a mine two miles N. E. off the North Godwins and foundered in 30 minutes. Capt. Causton was fatally injured by the explosion and died later in one of the boats, one man was killed and seven others reported missing. The Chief Officer, Mr. H. H. Robinson, took over command and got everyone away without further loss of life, the boats being picked up a short time afterwards by a coastal motor barge.
1944 Jun 21. Lt.-Col W. R. Johnson, C.B.E., D.S O , T D.(42763) having attained the age limit of liability to recall relinquishes his commn. retaining the rank of Lt.-Col.
1953 His daughter gets engaged and marries the next year
