Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Clarence was the son of Charles KEMPSTER & Christina MCDONALD and was born on the 18th of September 1896 in Bute, SA.

His parents were married on the 3rd of March 1871 in St Michaels Church, Bungaree, SA.

His father was the son of Roger KEMPSTER & Sabina HOUNSLOW and was born in 1848 in Buckinghamshire, England.
His mother was the daughter of Alan MCDONALD & Margaret MORRISON and was born in 1851 on Bungaree Station, SA.

Clarence was the youngest child born into this family of 11 children.

His father was a farmer at Magpie Creek (now Rochester) before they moved to Kadina.

In 1912 they moved to Eastry Street, Norwood and Clarence gained employment as a Tile layer.

At the age of 19, Clarence enlisted into the AIF on the 19th of August 1915 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number 22140 and posted to G Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.

Four days later his brothers William and Ernest enlisted into the AIF and were posted into the same Company as Clarence.
William was allotted the service number 22203 and Ernest was allotted the service number 22202.

Then 2 days after they enlisted, Allen enlisted into the AIF on the 25th of August and was allotted the service number 3856 and posted to the 27th Battalion, 9th Reinforcements.

On the 16th of October the 3 brothers were transferred to the 27th Battalion, 8th Reinforcements and then on the 1st of April 1916 he was transferred to the 23rd Howitzer Brigade, 108th Battery in Maribyrnong Camp, VIC, along with his brothers, William and Ernest.

Allen embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Miltiades on the 7th of February 1916.

After a further 7 weeks training the 3 brothers were entrained to Melbourne at 6am on the 20th of May 1916 and at 1:30pm they embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT Medic on the 20th of May 1916.

They continued their training in England before proceeding to France in January 1917.
Because of supply constraints in respect of the guns and other considerations, the Howitzer Brigades were broken up and the Batteries distributed among the Field Artillery Brigades of each Division.

So on the 6th of January 1917, the 3 brothers were transferred to the 8th FAB (Field Artillery Brigade), 3rd Division in Strazeele.
Clarence and Ernest were posted to the 108th Howitzer Battery and William was posted to the 30th Battery.

Three months later, Allen was transferred from the 27th Battalion to the 50th Battalion and then on the 16th of August 1916 he suffered a Gun Shot Wound and was evacuated to England to recover.
Then on the 9th of June 1917 he suffered another Gun Shot Wound, this time to his right arm, which fractured his Humerus. He was then invalided back to Australia, disembarking in Adelaide on the 12th of February 1918.

Sadly, William was Killed in Action on the 10th of September 1918.

After 4 years overseas, Ernest embarked for Australia on the 11th of May 1919 and disembarked in Adelaide on the 16th of June.

Clarence was the last of the 3 living brothers to return to Australia.
He embarked for Australia on the 1st of July 1919 on board HT Karmala and disembarked in Adelaide on the 14th of August.

Clarence was discharged from the AIF on the 29th of September 1919 and awarded the British War & Victory Medals.

Clarence married Winifred Myrtle CHARLES on the 19th of June 1920 in the Church of Christ, Norwood, SA.
Winifred was in Keyneton, VIC.

They then moved to 6 Gladstone Street, Yarraville, VIC for 2 years and Clarence was employed as a painter.

They returned to South Australia in 1924 and lived at 99 Rundle Street, Adelaide and Clarence gained employment as a tram conductor.

Later they moved to 21 Marlborough Street, College Park.

Clarence died on the 22nd of July 1949 in the Royal Adelaide Hospital and was buried 3 days later in the St George’s Church of England Cemetery, Magill;

KEMPSTER.—THE FRIENDS of the late Mr. CLARENCE LESLIE KEMPSTER, ex 22140, Gunner 8th Field Artillery, Brigade Headquarters, late of 21 Marlborough street, College Park, are respectfully informed that his Funeral will leave our Chapel, 56, Magill road, Norwood. THIS DAY (MONDAY), at 11 a.m., for the St. Georges Cemetery, Woodforde, Magill. Rev. C. W. L. Noon will officiate.

Winifred died on the 14th of March 1958 and was buried in the St George’s Church of England Cemetery, Magill.

Military

At the age of 19, Clarence enlisted into the AIF on the 19th of August 1915 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number 22140 and posted to G Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.
He listed his father, of Eastry Street, Norwood, as his next of kin and his parents gave their consent for him to enlist as he was under age.

On the 16th of October he was transferred to the 27th Battalion, 8th Reinforcements and then on the 1st of April 1916 he was transferred to the 23rd Howitzer Brigade, 108th Battery in Maribyrnong Camp, VIC, along with his brothers, William and Ernest.

After a further 7 weeks training they were entrained to Melbourne at 6am on the 20th of May 1916 and at 1:30pm they embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT Medic on the 20th of May 1916.
They arrived in Albany, WA 5 days later, where they spent a few hours before sailing at 4pm.
They arrived in Durban, South Africa at sunrise on the 12th of June, where they disembarked for the day and on the following day they sailed for Cape Town. They sailed from Cape Town on the 22nd and arrived at St Vincent Island on the 7th of July, but no shore leave was granted and they sailed from here 2 days later.

On the 17th they were met by 5 Destroyers, which took 1 transport ship each and the convoy was spilt up.
They arrived in Plymouth and disembarked on the following night.
They were then entrained to Larkhill Camp, at Salisbury Plain and in August they were in the training camps at Hillsea & Codford.
The Brigade then returned to Larkhill Camp on the 4th of September and remained here until they embarked from Southampton for France on the 30th of December 1916 and disembarked at Le Havre on the 1st of January 1917.

Because of supply constraints in respect of the guns and other considerations, the Howitzer Brigades were broken up and the Batteries distributed among the Field Artillery Brigades of each Division.

So on the 6th of January 1917, the 3 brothers were transferred to the 8th FAB (Field Artillery Brigade), 3rd Division in Strazeele.
Clarence and Ernest were posted to the 108th Howitzer Battery and William was posted to the 30th Battery.
All of February was spent in the Armentieres area where they took over the Artillery support for the whole front Line.
They were relieved on the 24th of March and relocated to Tilques training area, then Esquerdes, then to Lombres.

In April their Division moved to the Messines–Wytschaete Ridge section of the line in Belgium, taking up a position on the extreme right of II ANZAC Corps, with the New Zealand Division to its left.
It was here, in early June, that the Division undertook its first major engagement of the war when it was committed to the fighting during the Battle of Messines and the 8th FAB was in artillery support of the infantry.

For the next 6 months they spent time in and out of the front line in support of the infantry.
Their next major engagement came on the 4th of October when they took part in the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge.

By November they were located at Zonnebeke and then moved to near Ploegsteert Wood, where on the 7th of December William suffered a Gun Shot Wound and spent 6 days in the 9th Australian Field Ambulance before rejoining his Battery.
Christmas Day was then spent in the Steenwerck area before moving into the Warneton area.

In March 1918 the Germans launched their Spring Offensive near Saint-Quentin and as the Allied line collapsed, the German forces advanced swiftly into the Somme valley. Believing that another attack would be directed against the forces in the Flanders sector, in an effort to reinforce the British forces there, they were recalled and sent to Ypres.
The attack came, however, at the Somme and so on the 24th of March they were transferred south to help stem the advance and defend the approaches towards the important railhead at Amiens. They took up position to the east of Amiens in between the Ancre and Somme Rivers.

They spent April in the Ribemont and Mericourt area before moving to Corbie in May and then onto Villers-Brettoneux by the 1st of June.
Whilst in this area, Clarence gained 2 weeks leave to England and when he joined his Battery, they had moved to Sailly-Laurette.

On the 8th of August, the Allies launched their Hundred Days Offensive around Amiens and the 3rd Division was tasked with leading the Australian Corps part in the attack.
Under the cover of a heavy artillery bombardment and supported by tanks and gas, the attack began at 4:20 am.
The attack proved successful, as the Australians overwhelmed the German defenders and by the end of the day the division had achieved all of its objectives

After this attach they moved to Marcourt and by mid August they had moved 11 miles to Rosieres and into the front line.

Sadly, William was Killed in Action near Hems Farm on the 30th of August.
Throughout September the Germans began to withdraw back towards the Hindenburg Line and the 3rd Division took part in the operations undertaken to follow them up and harass the rearguard.

Their final offensive was in early October near the St Quentin Canal when their Division attacked the Beaurevoir Line in concert with American troops from the US 27th Division, who led the assault in.
The attack went awry, however, when the lead assault units failed to adequately clear the forward positions and subsequently when the 3rd Division was committed they came under fire almost immediately and instead of passing through the American positions, they had to complete the mopping up process before they could advance.

On the 6th of November they moved into Billets at Brancourt-le-Grand and were here when the Armistice was signed on the 11th of November.
By the 16th of December they had marched to Hautmont where Clarence and Ernest spent their last Christmas away from family and friends in Australia.

They were still in Hautmont when Ernest marched out with the 1st Quota, on the 16th of February for return to England and then Australia.
Clarence didn’t march out until the 30th of April, with Quota 44.

Ernest embarked for Australia on the 11th of May 1919 and disembarked in Adelaide on the 16th of June.

Clarence embarked for Australia on the 1st of July 1919 on board HT Karmala and disembarked in Adelaide on the 14th of August.

Clarence was discharged from the AIF on the 29th of September 1919 and awarded the British War & Victory Medals.