The son of William Walker, and Susannah Walker (1843–1912), née Kidd,[2][3] William Armley Walker was born in Essendon, Victoria on 29 August 1886.[4]
He married Josephine Harnett (?–1941) in 1916.[5] Josephine Harnett was the licensee of the Tankerville Arms Hotel, Nicholson Street, Fitzroy for twenty years.
Walker, also known by his nickname 'Johnnie', was recruited from the Collingwood Juniors.[6]
Aruckman, he made his senior VFL debut in 1911 and was a member of Essendon's 1911 and 1912 premiership teams. Walker's 14 goals in 1915 was enough to top Essendon's goal-kicking. Although selected to represent the VFL in a match against a combined Bendigo Football League team, played in Bendigo on 3 July 1912, he did not play in the game.[7]
Although he missed the team's first match, against Collingwood, he played in the remaining eleven matches of the (truncated due to World War I) 1915 season.
Essendon did not compete in the VFL in 1916 and 1917. Walker did not resume his career in 1918, when Essendon re-entered the competition.
In the evidence given to the tribunal it was established that Mertin had, indeed, been elbowed by somebody; and that the perpetrator had been wearing a short-sleeve guernsey. Martin gave evidence that it was not Walker who had struck him, but it was Jack Woolley. Jack Woolley also appeared before the tribunal, stating that he had worn a short-sleeved guernsey, and that it was he, rather than Walker, who had had struck Martin with his elbow. The charge against Walker was dismissed.[8][9][10]
^Note that although his official birth records have his name as "William Armley Walker", his official death records, his death notices in the newspapers and, also, the death notices for his wife all refer to him as "Armley William Walker".
Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN0-9591740-2-8
Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN0-670-86814-0
