| Regimental number | 20178 |
| Date of birth | |
| Place of birth | Penshurst, Victoria |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Address | Hawthorn, Victoria |
| Marital status | Married |
| Age at embarkation | 22 |
| Height | 5' 9.5" |
| Weight | 182 lbs |
| Next of kin | Wife, Mrs C Waller, 259 Dryburgh Street, North Melbourne, Victoria |
| Previous military service | Nil |
| Enlistment date | |
| Place of enlistment | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Rank on enlistment | Bombardier |
| Unit name | Field Artillery Brigade 8, Battery 32 |
| AWM Embarkation Roll number | 13/36/1 |
| Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A7 Medic on |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Bombardier |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | 11th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Fate | Returned to Australia |
| Discharge date | |
| Family/military connections | Brother: 274 Pte Thomas Eric WALLER, 22nd Bn, returned to Australia, 15 April 1918. |
| Other details |
War service: Western Front Embarked Melbourne, 20 May 1916; disembarked Plymouth, England, 18 July 1916. Transferred to 23rd Howitzer Brigade, Larkhill, 13 September 1916. Promoted Bombardier, 9 October 1916. Proceeded overseas to France, 31 December 1916. Attached to 12th Field Artillery Brigade, 4 February 1917, pending absorption in 11th Field Artillery Brigade. Wounded in action, Bullecourt, 12 May 1917 (High Explosive shell, back, shoulder and hand), and admitted same day to 49th Casualty Clearing Station; transferred to Ambulance Train No 9, 13 May 1917; admitted to 22nd General Hospital, 3 June 1917; transferred to England, 26 June 1917, and admitted same day to Horton County of London War Hospital (wound: severe; right arm amputated at shoulder: 'stump insufficient to fit artificial replacement'); to 2nd Auxiliary Hospital, Southall, 18 September 1917; discharged on furlough, 20 September 1917, to report to No 2 Command Depot, Weymouth, 4 October 1917. Commenced return to Australia from Devonport on board HT 'Anchises', 1 November 1917; arrived Melbourne, 3 January 1918; discharged (medically unfit), 8 February 1918. Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal Following the amputation of his right arm Waller taught himself to paint and draw using his left arm. Increasingly interested in stained glass and mosaics, he was commissioned in 1952 to design and install the interior decoration in the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. |
| Date of death | |
| Age at death | 78 |
| Place of burial | Cremated |
| Sources | NAA: B2455, WALLER Mervyn Napier
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 12, Melbourne University Press, 1990, p. 367. |