FAIRFAX, Clifford Graham
| Service Number: | 6320 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 20th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Lindfield, Ku-ring-gai, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 8 October 1917, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 6320, 20th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 6320, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suevic, Sydney |
Clifford Graham Fairfax
Clifford was a tall boy for his age and when WW1 began he was too young to fight. As the War went on women began to say that he should join up to “do his bit” but he was still too young. He tried to enlist once but was sent away. He received several white feathers in the street, and finally he went to the Army Office, put his age up and signed his Mother’s name and joined up. He was sent to Belgium and was killed near Ypres. His name is on the Menin Gate, as his body was never found. He was 17. Clifford was his parents oldest child, he had 3 sisters and a younger brother born after he died. His brother, Allan Graham Fairfax was a Navigator in the RAAF and was killed during the Battle of the Coral Sea, during WW2. Their Mother could never accept or open a telegram again after receiving the telegrams telling of her two sons’ deaths.
Submitted 7 September 2023 by Judy Clarke