Name: Walter Luscombe
Role: Former Soldier, prospective Adventurer
Age: 27

Background Summary:

Though born in England, Walter lived in the Argentine from the age of four to just after he turned thirteen, spending much of his time either learning Spanish from his nanny or hunting with his elder brothers, and sometimes his father, in the wild areas not far from their house. His father was a very highly respected railway engineer, contracted to help expand the network of railways around Argentina, so he was frequently away from home in Buenos Aires but his passion, besides trains, was rifle hunting and he instilled this on all of his sons.

In 1907, aged thirteen, Walter travelled by ship back to England to enroll as a border at Wellington School in Somerset, a well regarded private school with extensive connections to both the British Army and the Royal Navy. He spent the next five years at Wellington, receiving the first rate education typical of any minor British Public School and having the best time of his life, even better than his somewhat unconventional upbringing in Argentina. He represented his school at both rugby (playing Centre) and cricket (Opening Batsman) and was a keen cross country runner. After finishing at Wellington he successfully applied for a place at Kings College London to read History and spent a year there before the Great War broke out.

His military career was noteworthy, mainly because he served throughout the whole of the conflict on the Western Front as a Subaltern in the 6th Battalion, The Somerset Light Infantry, while receiving only one serious injury, an injury that he was able to recover from and return to active service within his Battalion. The average life expectancy for a junior officer, a Subaltern, in a British Infantry Regiment was six weeks after reaching the front line but some, like Walter, survived for much longer. He was eventually promoted to Captain late in the war when several badly damaged units were amalgamated to create the 13th Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry even though he was still only twenty four. See the summary of his British Army service below for details of his experiences during the Great War.

After being honourably discharged in 1919, Walter decided that he didn't wish to go back to university, instead taking a position as a journalist for The Daily Telegraph. He enjoyed working for them as a young reporter and when he was offered the position of foreign correspondent in Greece, mainly due to his military experience, he accepted and spent several months during 1920 reporting on the ongoing Greco-Turkish War. Though his reports and articles about the progress of the war were well received by the editorial team at The Daily Telegraph, Walter decided that he didn't particularly enjoy reporting on someone else's war. He was a man of action and he wanted to be in the thick of it rather than writing about someone else's experiences.

He therefore returned to London in late 1920, resigned from his position at The Daily Telegraph and began considering possible expeditions he could apply to join. Having always been a fan of Sir Henry Morton Stanley's book How I Found Livingstone about the explorer David Livingstone, Walter originally planned to join an expedition to Africa. Upon reading an article in The Times about Professor Larkin's plans to search for an ancient pyramid in Peru however, Walter decided to apply, his knowledge of Spanish certain to help his application.

Description:

At a Glance: Walter is a clean cut young man in his late twenties with a military baring and an above average build, clearly someone still in the prime of his life, a natural sportsman as such.

A Second Look: Walter’s eyes, when you get a chance to study them, show signs of war weariness, still there several years after the conflicted ended. He has clearly suffered from his experiences in the Great War and has been left a little lost, searching for a new purpose in life, seeking adventure of some kind in the meantime.

As well as his eyes, as you look at him further, there are a number of small scars on the back of his right hand and on the right-hand side of his neck. When he removes his shirt then further small scars are visible up the whole of his right side, the result of an artillery round from which he caught some small pieces of shrapnel. He fully recovered physically but the numerous little scars are an ever-present reminder of his wartime experiences.

He is clean shaven and has a slightly tanned complexion, probably from extended periods spent outdoors over many years. His physique is that of an athlete, with well toned muscles from regular exercise, particularly running, and he seems to revel in roughing it and slogging through the wilds.

When on expedition Walter dresses in a well cut, khaki green safari suit with matching hat, obviously an outfit bought from a Gentleman's tailor in London, well made hiking boots that he has clearly spent some effort breaking in, and putties linking the two, wound from ankle up to just below the knee in the classic British Infantry style. The clothes suit him and he is clearly happier dressed like this than in more formal attire, though he can scrub up when needed. He wears two pistols, his old Webley revolver in a leather holster on his right hip and a Luger in an underarm holster on his left side, a trophy gained during the War. Combined with the hunting knife also on his belt, the machete attached to the side of his backpack and the British Army issue Lee Enfield rifle slung over his shoulder, he looks more like a soldier for hire than an adventurer.

Walter is a friendly man, very much the team player, keen to get the job done to the best of his ability and to make his mark in the world. He is an experienced leader and commander, happy to both accept, interpret and implement orders as well as issue them himself should it be necessary, confident in making decisions rather than dithering uncertainly. He can be charming when he wants to be but, in truth, has had little time to pursue matters of the heart and is far more comfortable in the company of men from any walk of life that with Ladies at all. He plans to marry one day but has absolutely no idea how to go about finding a wife.

British Army Service Record:

• 1914 - Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the newly formed 6th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry.
  
• 6th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry are sent to the Western Front as part of the 43rd Infantry Brigade, 14th (Light) Division.
  
• 1915 - Participates in the Second Battle of Ypres (25th September, Second Attack on Bellewaarde).
  
• Awarded a Military Cross (MC) for his actions during the Second Attack on Bellewaarde.
  
• 1916 - Promoted to 1st Lieutenant.
  
• Participates in the Battle of the Somme (August to September, Battle of Delville Wood).
  
• Captures a Luger pistol from a German officer he killed during the Battle of Delville Wood. It becomes a prized trophy which he uses as a back up pistol during trench warfare throughout the rest of the War.
  
• 1917 - Participates in Battle of Arras (9th to 14th April, The First Battle of the Scarpe and 3rd to 4th May, The Third Battle of the Scarpe).
  
• Wounded by enemy shelling on 5th May, receiving numerous minor shrapnel wounds up his right hand side.
  
• Mentioned in Dispatches for his actions during The Third Battle of the Scarpe.
  
• Returns to active duty.
  
• Participates in the Third Battle of Ypres (November, The Second Battle of Passchendaele).
  
• 1918 - Participates in the Battle of the Somme (23rd to 25th March, The Battle of St Quentin and 4th April, The Battle of the Avre).
  
• 6th Battalion, The Somerset Light Infantry suffers very heavy casualties during the fighting around the Avre river and is withdrawn and formed into a composite unit with the 5th Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in late April.
  
• Awarded a second Military Cross, resulting in him being eligible to add a Bar to his existing MC.
  
• The composite Battalion is returned to England for reconstruction and is absorbed into 13th Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.
  
• Promoted to Captain at the age of just twenty four.
  
• In August the 13th Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry redeploys to France but does not see action.
  
• 1919 - Honourably discharged from the British Army.