Sailor, soldier, vicar, farmer: The improbable life of Anzac Chaplain Walter Dexter

Abstract

Walter Dexter, DSO, MC, DCM, remains the most distinguished and highly decorated Australian military chaplain of all time.

Walter Dexter’s early life reads like an adventure story. It begins with the improbability of a merchant mariner winning decorations for bravery as a horseman in the army, then returning to sea to win awards for civilian bravery, before quitting it all to become a mere clergyman, then winning more medals for bravery as an Anzac chaplain in another war. Truly, Dexter’s life was stranger than fiction.

Of all the chaplains of the AIF, he gave the longest frontline service, from the earliest chaplaincy appointments in 1914 until demobilisation in 1920. His work for the spiritual, material and emotional welfare of the soldiers was unmatched, and in return they held him in the highest regard. Dexter's extraordinary career, colourful life and unparalleled achievements make his story one that should stand as a cornerstone in Australia’s Anzac memory.