BORN HULL 1895. SON OF ARTHUR POPPLETON (1861-1955) & ADA OLIPHANT HOWARD (HARWOODD) (1869-1920), OF 38 GLASGOW STREET. SON OF A SHIP SMITH. HE HAD TWO BROTHERS AND FOUR SISTERS. HIS BROTHER, HAROLD POPPLETON SERVED IN THE EAST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT.
WALTER SERVED IN THE MERCHANT NAVY AND WAS DROWNED ON THE STEAM SHIP ZARA, TORPEDOED ON 13/04/1917, AGED 21.
HE IS COMMEMORATED ON THE TOWER HILL NAVAL MEMORIAL, LONDON AND ON THE HULL MERCHANT NAVY ROLL OF HONOUR.
SS Zara, built by Wm. Hamilton & Co., Port Glasgow in 1897 and owned at the time of her loss by Ellerman’s Wilson Line, Ltd., Hull, was a British steamer of 1.331 tons. On April 13th, 1917, Zara, on a voyage from London to Trondhjem with general cargo, was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-30 (Franz Grünert), 90 miles W3/4S of Helliso Island. 27 persons were lost. Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?60007
