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Son of David ZACHARIAH and Eve nee SCUDDS
Husband of Mary ZACHARIAH of Mt. Lofty 

Clifford was the son of David ZACHARIAH & Eve SCUDDS and was born on the 24th of May 1892 in North Adelaide, SA.

His parents were married on the 18th of June 1890 in the Baptist Church, Flinders Street, Adelaide, SA.

His father was the son of Henry ZACHARIAH & Catherine HUGHES and was born on the 13th of March 1865 in Hindmarsh, SA.
His mother was the daughter of William SCUDDS & Emma CARTER and was born on the 8th of December 1868 in Stirling East, SA.

Clifford was the second child born into this family of 4 children.

His father was a market gardener and the family moved to Stirling West in 1897.

On Thursday the 3rd of August 1899 his mother went to the store and left Ivy, aged just 8 years old, in charge of Clifford & David.
Ivy put the kettle on the fire and her clothes caught alight.
She at once ran out and tried to reach a neighbour's house, but fell down near a fence on the way. The neighbours, hearing screams, found her with all her clothing burnt off, only her boots remaining. She was sent to the North Adelaide Children's Hospital, but was too badly burnt, for recovery to be possible, and she succumbed to her injuries.
They buried her in the Stirling Cemetery; General, Section C, Row 5, Plot 149N.

Clifford and his siblings attended the Stirling Primary School and on finishing school Clifford became a gardener and helped his father, he also played football for the Stirling Football Club.

Clifford married Mary Christina SWEET on the 17th of July 1914 in the Registry Office in Flinders Street, Adelaide.
Mary was the daughter of James SWEET & Annie BOTTOMLEY was born on the 6th of November 1894 in Adelaide, SA.

At the age of 22, Clifford enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 26th of December 1914 in Oaklands and allotted the service number 599 and posted to the Base Light Horse.

They welcomed their first child; Ivy Byronia Prestavene Glydus on the 15th of January 1915 whilst Clifford was in Morphettville Camp.

On the 16th of March 1915 Clifford was transferred to the newly raised 11th Light Horse Regiment, C Squadron in Morphettville Camp.

His brother David enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 7th of July 1915 and allotted the service number 653 and posted to the 32nd Battalion, B Company.

Clifford embarked from Brisbane on board HMAT A55 Kyarra on the 16th of August 1915.

David embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A2 Geelong on the 18th of November 1915. He was wounded (shell wound to both legs) and captured by the Germans on the 20th of July 1916 at Longueval. He was imprisoned in the Rez Laz POW Camp where he died from Septis on the 10th of September 1916 at 5pm.

After serving in Gallipoli and Egypt for 4 years, Clifford finally embarked from Port Said on board HMAT Donola on the 24th of April 1919, disembarking in Adelaide on the 4th of June.
Clifford returned to his wife and young daughter in Stirling and immediately returned to playing football and his market garden.

Clifford was discharged from the AIF on the 3rd of August 1919.

They welcomed their second child; France Fommellis Symyina on the 21st of February 1921 in Stirling, followed by Darresy Gwent Daceema on the 10th of June 1922.

Clifford played in the Stirling Football Club Premiership team of 1924 and the following year Arnold David Monty was born on the 25th of May 1925.

Zeta Eve was then born on the 2nd of July 1926, followed by Texis Allan Selton Vane on the 27th of January 1928 and then Richard Hugh in 1932.

Sadly, Texis died on the 9th of February 1934 from Bronchial Pneumonia in the Northfield Hospital and they buried him in the Stirling Cemetery; General, Section C, Row 5, Plot 149N with Clifford’s sister; Ivey.

The following year Richard died from Bronchial Pneumonia on the 4th of October 1935 in the Children’s Hospital and they buried him in the Stirling Cemetery; General, Section C, Row 5, Plot 149N with Texis & Ivey.

Their remaining children attended the Stirling Primary School and Clifford joined the Stirling RSL Sub-Branch.

With the outbreak of WW2, at the age of 48, Clifford enlisted into the 2nd AIF on the 8th of May 1940 in Cheltenham and allotted the service number S213306 and graded to Group 2 as a cook.
He was based at Cheltenham Camp and attended the Pt Adelaide Rifle Range and Cookery & Catering Courses.
On the 1st of February 1941 he was transferred to the No.3 Training Battalion at Tanunda and then on the 7th of August he was attached to the 6th Cavalry Brigade for a few weeks.

On the 22nd of October 1941 his son Arnold enlisted into the 2nd AIF (SX37115).

On the 27th of April 1942 Clifford was entrained to Dubbo and when they were disbanded in April 1943 Clifford was transferred to the 1st Australian Infantry Training Battalion.

In July 1944 he spent 2 weeks in the 70th Australian Camp Hospital suffering from Bronchitis and then on the 20th of October he was transferred back to South Australia.
He suffered another attack on the 21st of February 1945 and was admitted into the 105th Australian General Hospital in Adelaide for a few weeks.

Clifford was discharged from the 2nd AIF on the 18th of April 1945.
After his discharged he gained employment as a railway employee and at the time there was a housing shortage so Clifford moved to 197A, Gilbert Street, Adelaide.

Mary and 2 of their daughters had moved in with Mrs Eileen Theresa LAUBE at 37 Coppin Street, Semaphore.

On the 21st of October 1947 Mary & Shirley left home at 8.45am to go to Outer Harbour. They caught the bus to Pt Adelaide and were waiting near the Commercial Road Railway Station for a taxi when Mary collapsed at 10.15am.
A doctor was called but she was pronounced dead upon his arrival.

Clifford buried Mary with their 2 sons in the Stirling Cemetery; General, Section C, Row 5, Plot 149N

Later when Clifford retired he moved back to Stirling West.

Clifford died in Hectorville on the 19th of January 1968 and was buried in the Stirling Cemetery; General, Section C, Row 5, Plot 149N with his family.

Military

WW1

At the age of 22, Clifford enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 26th of December 1914 in Oaklands and allotted the service number 599 and posted to the Base Light Horse.
He listed his wife, of Mt Lofty, as his next of kin.

On the 16th of March 1915 he was transferred to the newly raised 11th Light Horse Regiment, C Squadron in Morphettville Camp and they later moved to Mitcham Camp.
The 11th Light Horse Regiment was formed at Fraser’s Paddock Camp, Enoggera Training Camp, QLD and in Adelaide in mid March 1915 as part of the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade.
The Queensland portion comprised of A & B Squadron’s with C Squadron in Adelaide.

On Saturday the 24th of April Clifford and his Squadron marched through Adelaide and were presented with their colours at the Parade Ground.
The flag was designed by Miss Maud Prosser and made by Mrs L.W Yemm.
The flag was made of silk and on one side there was a yellow map of Australia on a red background with the words “C Squadron 11th Light Horse” and on the other side was a boomerang with a wattle sprig and the word “Australia”.

The President of the Cheer-up Society, Mr W.J Sowden, presented the colours to Major Parsons, as the officer commanding the squadron.
He said although departmental etiquette did not permit each individual unit of a Regiment to carry separate flags at the front, he asked them to accept the emblem as a reminder of the Cheer-up Girls.
Having alluded to the design of the flag, he said the wattle would typify the golden opinion they held of the men, whilst the boomerang would serve to remind them that any bad action of which they might be guilty when at the front would recoil upon them.

On the 2nd of May 1915, the entire 11th Light Horse Regiment came together at Fraser’s Paddock Camp, Pinkenba and trained as a single Regiment.
On the 1st of June they moved to Pinkenba and at 2.30pm they started to load their heavy luggage and horses on board HMAT Medic.

At 1pm the following day they sailed for Sydney, arriving at 8am on the 4th, disembarked with their horses and marched to the Sydney Show Ground.
On the 13th of June when the Regiment embarked from Sydney on board HMAT Medic, Clifford was absent.

Clifford returned to Fraser’s Paddock Camp, Pinkenba and was posted to the 11th Light Horse Regiment, 3rd Reinforcements.

Clifford embarked from Brisbane on board HMAT A55 Kyarra on the 16th of August 1915.

Ten days into Clifford’s voyage, the 11th Light Horse Regiment was considered to be unsuitable for work in Gallipoli as mounted troops so the troops volunteered to operate as infantry.
Because of the level of casualties at Gallipoli, the 11th Light Horse Regiment was broken up on the 26th of August 1915 with squadrons being allotted to other Regiments as reinforcements;
"A" Squadron became "D" Squadron, 2nd Australian Light Horse Regiment.
"B" Squadron became "D" Squadron, 5th Australian Light Horse Regiment.
"C" Squadron became "D" Squadron, 9th Australian Light Horse Regiment.

Clifford disembarked in Egypt in October and marched into Racecourse Camp, Heliopolis.
He then embarked for Gallipoli and was taken on strength with the 9th Light Horse Regiment, “D” Squadron on the 17th of November at Rhododendron Spur, where they were primarily deployed in defensive activities.

On the 20th of December 1915 they embarked from Gallipoli on board HMS Mars, transferred to HMAT Ionian in Mudros Harbor, disembarked in Alexandria on the 26th of December and entrained to Racecourse Camp in Heliopolis.

They commenced training on the 3rd of January 1916, with troop drill, musketry and riding tests.
Mounted drill however was difficult due to the shortage of horses and saddlery.

With the reforming of the 11th Light Horse Regiment on the 18th of February 1916, Clifford was transferred back to the 11th Light Horse Regiment and they moved to No.2 Oasis Camp in Heliopolis.
Clifford was then transferred to the Light Horse Training Brigade in Tel-el-Kebir on the 4th of April and after 10 weeks was transferred to the newly formed 3rd Light Horse Double Squadron (dismounted unit) in Tel-el-Kebir on the 23rd of June and taken on strength with them on the 6th of July in Serapeum.
Their main objective for the next 3 months was to guard the Suez Canal.

This Double Squadron was broken up in November 1916 with Clifford and his fellow men being transferred to the newly formed 4th Camel Regiment.

The camels were the perfect pack and transport animal, as they were able to carry up to 145 kg, go up to five days without water, and could travel at 4.8 to 9.5 kilometres per hour through the uneven desert terrain. Although they were commonly used to transport goods, they also worked as soldiers’ mounts and somewhat unpopular, bumpy ambulances. In this case, the wounded would be carried in Cacolets or cradle-like stretchers attached to either side of a camel’s hump. The lumbering and swaying gait of a camel made the Cacolets a dreaded and painful transport option for the wounded, but due to the sandy terrain of desert campaigns, there was often little choice.

Clifford was then posted to the Australian Training Camel Regiment in El Ferdan on the 2nd of November.

The project foundered, however, on the shortage of trained camels and on 15 January 1917 the commander of the 4th Camel Regiment reported that the unit had only 467 camels out of an establishment of 650.
On the 22nd of January 1917 Clifford was transferred to the Reserve Camel Corps in Abbassia and then 3 days later he was posted to the 1st Camel Battalion Imperial Camel Corps (ICC).

The men of the ICC had a rough reputation, largely because when the Corps was originally formed Australian Battalion commanders had seized upon it as an opportunity to offload some of their more difficult characters.
In 1917 a British supply dump at Rafa was warned to double their guards as the ICC was going to be camped nearby.

Clifford was then involved in the capture of the Turkish force at Bir el Hassana in February and the defeats during the First Battle of Gaza in March and the Second Battle of Gaza in April.
Whilst they were located at Ferry Post on the 7th of May 1917, Clifford went AWOL for 9 days and was awarded 14 days Field Punishment No.2

On the 18th of June in Ismalia, Clifford suffered from an abscess on his face and was admitted into the 123rd Imperial Camel Field Ambulance for 5 days.
They were then involved in a raid on the Sana redoubt in August before they then had a break to refit.
Subsequently, they participated in the victories in the Battle of Beersheba, the Third Battle of Gaza, and at the Battle of Mughar Ridge during October and November.
By the end of the year the advance had crossed the Sinai and entered Palestine.

The men of the ICC were very resourceful and effective. While defending a hill called Musallabeh in April 1918, some Australians of the ICC ran out of hand grenades. They resorted to heaving boulders down upon the attacking Turks and eventually fought them off.
The hill became known as the "Camel's Hump".

As the ICC moved into the more fertile country of northern Palestine, its practicality declined.
The camels needed more fodder and water than equivalent numbers of horses and unimpeded by the desert, horses could move much faster.

Clifford’s Camel Battalion was disbanded on the 25th of July 1918 and Clifford, with all the available personnel, formed the 14th Light Horse Regiment as part of the 5th Australian Light Horse Brigade.

In a move that converted the Light Horse into full cavalry, the Australian Mounted Division was issued with swords during August and early September 1918. The Australian Mounted Division went to work training with swords and undertaking cavalry work in Surafend.
On the 19th of September 1918 the Battle of Megiddo began. The infantry over ran the Turkish defensive trenches allowing the cavalry to debouch into the Turkish hinterland.
Clifford and the 14th Light Horse Regiment participated in the breakthrough which moved rapidly through the north of Palestine. At the end of the first week, it was obvious that the way to Damascus was open and so a second push occurred on the heels of the first assault.
On the 1st of October 1918, Damascus was taken.
After a rest in Damascus, they moved towards Homs when the Turks surrendered on 30th of October 1918.

Christmas 1918 and all of January and February was spent at Homs.

On the 13th of March 1919 they were deployed to assist in suppressing the Egyptian Uprising and by May they were located at Abu-Kebir on patrol.
When the revolt collapsed they prepared for their return to Australia and handed their horses over to the Indian Veterinary Hospital.

Clifford, with the entire 14th Light Horse Regiment finally embarked from Port Said on board HMAT Donola on the 24th of April 1919, disembarking in Adelaide on the 4th of June.

Clifford was discharged from the AIF on the 3rd of August 1919 and awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.

WW2

At the age of 48, Clifford enlisted into the 2nd AIF on the 8th of May 1940 in Cheltenham and allotted the service number S213306 and graded to Group 2 as a cook.
He listed his wife, of Stirling West, as his next of kin.

He was based at Cheltenham Camp and attended the Pt Adelaide Rifle Range and Cookery & Catering Courses.
On the 1st of February 1914 he was transferred to the No.3 Training Battalion at Tanunda and then on the 7th of August he was attached to the 6th Cavalry Brigade for a few weeks.
On the 27th of April 1942 he was entrained to Dubbo and when they were disbanded in April 1943 Clifford was transferred to the 1st Australian Infantry Training Battalion.

In July 1944 he spent 2 weeks in the 70th Australian Camp Hospital suffering from Bronchitis and then on the 20th of October he was transferred back to South Australia.
He suffered another attack on the 21st of February 1945 and was admitted into the 105th Australian General Hospital in Adelaide for a few weeks.

Clifford was discharged from the 2nd AIF on the 18th of April 1945.