Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Claude Esdaile Prior was born in Burrowa, NSW, Australia on the 19th of August 1895 (1), moving to Artarmon, Sydney, NSW alongside his two brothers, Prior Ernest Arthur, and Prior Robert Eric. His father, Prior William Henry, was an officer in the military. When Prior finished schooling at Sydney Technical High School, he enrolled himself into the Royal Military College in Canberra on the 12th of March 1912 to train as a Lieutenant (3). By the time Prior graduated on the 3rd of April, 1916, the Great War had already begun.

Enlisting on the 4th of April 1916, Prior embarked on the HMAT Marathon to England a month after his initial enlistment (4). Claude Esdaile Prior was ranked as a Lieutenant in the 34th battalion but was transferred later to the 36th battalion after he caught flu on the 31st of December 1916(5). His first major battle was in Belgium in which he fought alongside the 36th infantry battalion at the battle of Broodseinde Ridge as a Captain. Other notable battles include the German Spring Offensive, First Battle for Passchendaele and the Battle of Villers Bretonneux. It was during the Battle of Villers Bretonneux that Prior was gassed and wounded, effectively ending his service during World War 1 altogether (6) . He was later admitted to the London 3rd General Hospital on the 27th of April 1918 and awarded the British Medal of Victory and Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Celebrating his achievements in Europe, Prior embarked on a ship back to Sydney on the 18th of July 1919 (7) .

Although Claude Esdaile Prior survived the war, not much is known of his life during the interwar years. We do know that he dedicated most of his life to the military as we have records that show him to be a Colonel in the Coronation Contingent that was present in the coronation of King George the VI (8).Other records show that he had a marriage with Dorothy Edna Wright on the 11th of July 1920 with a daughter being conceived later (9). 

However, most of the records we have are from his service in WW2 with his enlistment date being the 3rd of September 1939 as a Colonel overseeing the 1st/2nd Machine Gun Battalion. Prior oversaw the defence of Britain with the 1st/2nd Machine Gun Battalion until he was promoted to Commander of the 6th Infantry Division and transferred to Greece (10). It was here in Greece that Claude Esdaile Prior saw the most action with major engagements at Mount Olympus, Vevi ,Florina Valley, and the Aliakmon River. But with mounting pressure by German forces and faltering Greek defences, the 6th division was ordered to withdraw to the island of Crete (11). Claude Esdaile Prior was in charge of setting up a quick defence to keep control of the island but was transferred alongside the 6th division on the 10th of May 1941 to aid the ongoing conflict in Syria (12) . Prior organised the 6th division to attack key points along Vichy controlled Syria, allowing the British to control Syria, prevent an attack on Egypt, and relieve Australian troops held up in Tobruk (13) .

After his success with the 6th division in the Middle East, Prior was recalled on the 15th of April 1942 to help prepare for the defence of Australia by working in the Military Headquarters as Military Secretary. His hard work led him to be promoted Commander of the Australian Second Army on the 15th of February 1944 (14) . From records we have on the Australian Second Army, we know that Prior was stationed in Sydney, and participated in the defence of Sydney Harbour. For Prior, this was to be his last combat deployment as he was promoted to Chief Administration Officer of Eastern Command in early January 1945 (15) After the war he was transferred again to Chief Administration Officer of the Southern Command. Claude Esdaile Prior’s last notable appointment in his military career was during 1949 as the Senior Australian Military Observer with the United Nations Commission for Indonesia (16).

As Prior was honourably discharged from his accomplished career with the Australian Army on the 19th of August 1950 . Claude Esdaile Prior resumed his work for the local community of the Northern Suburbs being appointed Manly Commissioner for Commerce in July 1953 and suddenly dying on the 14th of June 1954 being buried by his wife, daughter, and grandson (17).

References:

The AIF Project, UNSW, Canberra 
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Particulars of service in the A.I.F in connection with Claude Esdaile Prior,Department of defence Melbourne 
Australian War Memorial 36th Battalion
Ibid 
Vol.73 No.3780 (23rd of July 1952) National Library Of Australia
Ibid
Obituaries Australia
Ibid
Biography of General Claude Esdaile Prior, generals.dk
Wikipedia.org Syria-Lebanon Campaign 
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid 
Ibid

Bibliography:

The AIF Project, UNSW, Canberra. Particulars of service in the A.I.F in connection with Claude Esdaile Prior,Department of defence Melbourne. Australian War Memorial 36th Battalion. Vol.73 No.3780 (23rd of July 1952) National Library Of Australia. Obituaries Australia. Biography of General Claude Esdaile Prior, generals.dk. Wikipedia.org Syria-Lebanon Campaign.