A professor friend sent along this clipping from the New York Times on the death of Walter Walsh, one of the great gunfighters of the 20th Century. It’s a very well done obit; my only quibble would be that in most accounts I’ve read, the Japanese sniper he killed with his .45 pistol was 90 yards away, not 80.

I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Walsh back in the 1990s, when we were both nominees for the Outstanding American Handgunner of the Year.  He won that award well before I did, and he certainly deserved to.  He wasn’t a big man, but courage and fighting skill aren’t necessarily measured by physical size.  Walter Walsh was very hard of hearing, the occupational hazard of serious shooters of his time; effective muff-type hearing protection wasn’t really available until Gil Hebard popularized it in mid-20th century.

Said to have killed eleven gunmen as an FBI agent, and many of the enemy in the Pacific Theater during WWII, Walter Walsh was indomitable. In his most famous gunfight, with the notorious Brady Gang in Maine, he was shot three times including a .45 slug through his chest.  With one of the first Smith & Wesson .357 Magnums in his dominant left hand and a Colt .45 automatic in his right, Walsh returned fire and killed the gangster who shot him…and then proceeded to apply his .357 to the gang leader, with equally fatal results.

Above all, he was a gentleman…kind, and soft-spoken.  Most of the real gunfighters I’ve met over the decades share those traits.

Walter Walsh made it to 106.  It was an honor to have known him.  May this Guardian rest in peace.

1 COMMENT

  1. What an amazing man & what an amazing life! If there’s ever a Gunfighter’s Hall of Fame, he has to be in it!

  2. Mr Walsh certainly lived a full life; making an eighty yard pistol shot in combat is pretty incredible. Though it was sad to read that his grandson predeceased him. R.I.P.

  4. I had no idea Walter Walsh was still alive… He was certainly a legend in his own time.

    Back about 1968 I had the pleasure of meeting him at the old NRA Mid-Winter pistol matches in Tampa Florida. He seemed to consumate gentleman to my eyes and I admired him fairly early on.

  6. Mr. Walsh certainly had an interesting career. He lived a long life and we are the poorer for his passing. As they say he died with his boots on, I am assuming.

    I could not help but notice the correlation in the
    violence during his career and the violence going on in Chicago today. I believe that Chicago had 40 shootings last weekend with 7 or 8 dead. Wait till the weather really heats up. The police seem powerless to solve the problem. Perhaps we need more men like Mr. Walsh, to head up a special unit in Chicago?

  7. Mr. Walsh was a member of our range, Fairfax Rod and Gun, and the few times he came out, he was treated like royalty, because he was… May he Rest In Peace.

  11. Indeed, the most interesting man. I would have liked meeting him. I envy you having met him, Mas. To Mr. Walsh I say, go with God, my friend.

  14. Thanks for reporting this. I am surprised I have never heard of Mr. Walsh. Shot through the chest with a .45 slug, and lived to be 106? I wonder how much longer he would have lived without that wound!

  17. Like many others, I did not realize Mr. Walsh was still alive at 106, until reading his obit. I’ve read about him many times over the years, but I had assumed that he passed years ago. What a man! A giant, indeed. I envy your having met him, Mas; I wish I could have. I appreciate your kind tribute, and am amazed that the NYT did such a good job with the obit. RIP, Mr. Walsh.

  20. Mas – as always, thanks, not only for your great respect for the history of firearms, but also the people who have used them for the overwhelming benefit of everyone. If you only reported the facts this well, it would be great – but it wouldn’t be Massad Ayoob. You have storytelling assets that most can only dream of – and enjoy reading. Thanks for sharing the story of yet another great American. Mr. Walter Walsh, may God rest your soul, Sir.

  22. Thank you, Mas, on being among those who have brought Mr. Walsh’s name into discussion; thank you as well for the hat-tip to the late Gil Hebard, at whose shop I spent plenty of time and money.

  23. I first met Col. Walsh at Camp Perry in 1987 as a member of the USMC Pistol Team. I came off the line and he was sitting on a bench. I knew who he was and couldn’t help throwing him a parade-ground salute and “good morning Sir!”. He actually returned my salute and we spoke for a few moments. I had heard some of the stories of his FBI days.

    They don’t make them like that any more.

  24. Has this great man’s story been told in book form? If not, the question is who’s gonna write it and when?

  25. I had not heard of the man until his obit showed up on my Facebook feed today. I immediately came here to see if you knew him. Is there an Ayoob File about him? If not, will there be one forthcoming in the near future?

  26. Malcolm, I’m not planning to write one at this time. American Rifleman had a comprehensive story on him not terribly long ago, if memory serves.