WALTER DOHERTY WAS BORN IN LIVERPOOL ON 18 DECEMBER 1891. AFTER LEAVING SCHOOL, HE JOINED THE ARMY, AND SERVED IN THE ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY.
ON 12 MARCH 1912, HE JOINED THE GLASGOW POLICE AND WAS POSTED TO ‘D’ (SOUTHERN) DIVISION. WITHIN THREE MONTHS HE HAD GAINED BOTH THE SERGEANTS’ AND INSPECTORS’CERTIFICATES AND, ON 12 SEPTEMBER 1913, HE WAS PROMOTED TO 1st. CLASS CONSTABLE.
ON 15 SEPTEMBER 1914, HE JOINED THE ROYAL GARRISON ARTILLERY AND SERVED THROUGHOUT THE FIRST WORLD WAR, ATTAINING THE RANK OF ACTING SERGEANT-MAJOR AND WAS AWARDED THE MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL.
HE RETURNED TO ‘D’ (SOUTHERN) DIVISION OF THE GLASGOW POLICE ON 21 DECEMBER 1918 AND WAS PROMOTED TO SERGEANT IN ’A’ (CENTRAL) DIVISION ON 8 DECEMBER 1920. HE QUICKLY ROSE THROUGH THE RANKS BEING PROMOTED TO INSPECTOR (1923), LIEUTENANT (1931) .
BY 1937 HE WAS A SUPERINTENDENT AND IN 1938 WAS APPOINTED ASSISTANT CHIEF CONSTABLE.
DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, HE SERVED AS CHIEF OF THE NAPLES POLICE, WITH THE RANK OF COLONEL IN THE ALLIED MILITARY GOVERNMENT IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES. HE WAS AWARDED THE CROIX DE GUERRE (FRANCE) AND THE BRONZE STAR (U.S.A.).
HE RETURNED TO THE GLASGOW POLICE ON 17 SEPTEMBER 1945 AND RETIRED ON 31 DECEMBER 1956 HAVING 44 YEARS AND 295 DAYS POLICE SERVICE. HE WAS GLASGOW’S MOST DECORATED POLICEMAN AND HIS MEDALS ARE ON DISPLAY IN THE GLASGOW POLICE MUSEUM.
HE WAS KNOCKED DOWN AND KILLED BY A CAR IN POLMADIE STREET, GLASGOW, ON 8 OCTOBER 1958.