Walker-Heneage was born the third son of Major Clement Walker Heneage of Compton Bassett, Wiltshire and Henrietta Letitia Victoria on 4 February 1871. He was educated in part at Stubbington House School in Hampshire, known as the "cradle of the Navy". He assumed the surname of Walker-Heneage-Vivian by Royal Licence in 1921.
Naval career
Walker-Heneage joined the Royal Navy in 1886, as a midshipman on the battleship commanded by Algernon Heneage, a distant relative. He afterwards served on in the Pacific and was promoted to commander in 1900. He thereafter served all in many parts of the world, including Ladysmith, South Africa, when he was part of the contingent sent to defend the town during the Second Boer War. In 1907 he was promoted captain in command of the minelayer, and in 1908 was given command of the First Squadron of Minelayers. Following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Walker-Heneage assumed command of the battleship. He took the ship on a secret mission to collect gold bullion from South Africa and was afterwards part of the naval support at the Gallipoli landings. In 1915–16 he was commodore commanding small vessels in the eastern Mediterranean, including 160 minesweepers and in 1916–17 was in charge of the allied barrage across the Strait of Otranto. Walker-Heneage became Senior British Naval Officer in Italy and was promoted to rear admiral in 1918 and appointed an Aide-de-Camp to King George V in 1917–18. He retired from active service in 1920 and was promoted in retirement to vice admiral on 8 October 1923, and to admiral on 1 August 1927. Walker-Heneage was invested as a Member of the Royal Victorian Order in 1904 and a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1916 New Year Honours. On 25 April 1922 he was made a Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy by the King of Italy.
Later life
In retirement Walker-Heneage moved into Parc le Breos on the Gower peninsula near Bishopton, Swansea, which he inherited from the Vivian family. He afterwards moved to Clyne Castle, Blackpill, Swansea, which was also inherited from the Vivians. At that time he added the Vivian surname to his own. He served as a Justice of the Peace and a Deputy Lieutenant of Glamorganshire and was pricked High Sheriff of Glamorgan for 1926–27.
Private life
Walker-Heneage-Vivian died at Clyne Castle in 1952. He had married twice. Firstly, in 1912 to Helen Mary, daughter of Captain Ernest de Vismes du Boulay, with whom he had three daughters. They were and divorced in 1931 and he then married Beryl Stanle in Paddington later that year.
