Walter Ballantyne Tunbridge (Lieutenant), born in Ballarat, had four years' experience with the Naval Cadets when, as a 23 year old farmer, he enlisted in the 9th Light Horse Regiment as a 2nd Lieutenant on September 3rd 1914. Just nine days later he embarked from Melbourne, first to Egypt and then to Gallipoli in May 1915. In July, illness forced his evacuation to hospital on Malta, but he returned to Gallipoli in early October. Further illness, enteric fever, saw him evacuated again in late November, this time back to Australia. He re-embarked aboard the Themistocles on July 28th 1916, and in April 1917 he transferred to the Australian Flying Corps before a posting to the Royal Flying Corps. He crossed to France in July 1917 but illness limited much of his remaining service. After the war he arrived back in Melbourne on February 5th 1919 and was discharged two months later.

His brothers Geoffrey and Daryl also served in the AIF and are honoured with trees in the Avenue.