Walter James Holliday was born at Lambeth, London on 4 October 1889.
In July 1908 he enlisted as a regular in the Royal Marine Artillery, register number 212310. He served in HMS Collingwood from 1910 and in HMS Minotaur from 1912 to 1915, and after the Great War in HMS King George V, HMS Despatch and HMS Constance. He was promoted Corporal in 1925 and reduced to Marine in 1926, and was discharged to pension as a Marine in July 1929, after 21 years’ service. He held the 1914-15 Star and the British War and Victory Medals.
He was called up again at Portsmouth on 26 August 1939. From 11 October he was borne on the books of HMS President III, the accounting base for men serving in Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships, and he served as Deptford’s gunner.
Walter James Holliday was a British serviceman. He was killed as a result of enemy action, by reason of a torpedo attack carried out on SS Deptford from U-38. He was 50 by his service record, 51 according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.