80303
OLDING, Clement Francis
| Service Number: | 1960 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | 4 March 1890, place not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Ironmonger |
| Died: | 16 May 1964, aged 74 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Norwood Primary School Honour Board, St. Peters Baptist Church Roll of Honour WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 1960, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Morea embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Aug 1915: | Embarked Private, 1960, 27th Infantry Battalion, RMS Morea, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 1960 | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 1960, 27th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Clement Francis Olding was born in Maylands, South Australia, on the 4th of March 1890. He was one of 10 children of Mr. John Guy Olding and Mrs. Maria Anges Olding (whom he named as his next of kin). Clement Francis was a trained ironmonger by trade, and his enlistment forms noted that he had a fair complexion, blue eyes, and fair hair. He was 25 and 2 months old when he signed up in Keswick, and he weighed 69 kilograms.
Following his enlistment in May, he embarked on the 26th of August for England, where he was assigned as a third reinforcement. A few months later, on December 29th, 1915, he was taken on strength and issued to the 27th battalion where he would fight.
The evidence suggests he fought in the Battle of Pozieres for the 2nd Division as it states in his services papers he was wounded in the back and thigh on the 4th of August 1916. (Pozieres was a tiny town in France's Somme valley and was the site of severe and costly battle in mid-1916 for the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Australian Divisions). It is extremely likely that Private Oldling was a part of the second attack that started on 2nd of August and ended on 6th of August 1916 where the Australians seized further German positions beyond the village. However, the Australians experienced heavy retaliatory bombardments from the Germans during this seize and suffered 6,848 casualties. Clement Francis was then sent back to England on the 9th of August to recover from his injuries.
According to his service documents, he rejoined his unit after being injured on June 26th, 1917. Unfortunately for Pte. Olding, he was wounded in the back again on October 4th, 1917. This evidence suggests that he most likely fought in the siege of Broodseinde Ridge and was part of an offensive conducted in the early hours of October 4th, 1917. The fight initially seemed to be going against the Australians, as they lost a seventh of their troops before their attack had even begun. When the attack did commence, the Australians were met by a group of German forces advancing towards them. They fought their way through the German assault waves to gain all their objectives along the ridge. The battle was extremely costly for the Australians, with 6,500 fatalities. Pte. Olding returned to England on October 10th to heal from his wounds.
On January 9, 1918, Clement Francis Olding re-joined the 27th Battalion, where he would again suffer a non-fatal wound to the buttocks. The cause is most probably from the German Spring Offensive when they launched their first of three attacks against the British Fifth Army in Arras (Somme area). On the 24th of March, he was sent back to England to recover in Hospital. He re-joined his battalion in late 1918 and served until May 27th, 1919, when he disembarked and returned to Adelaide.
Soon after his return on the 8th of November 1919, Clement Francis married Rhoda Emma Blackaby in Wayville, South Australia. They then went to have three children (Brian, Betty, and Barbara Olding). He then went on to live another 45 years and on the 16th of May 1964, he died in Somerton Park, South Australia aged 74. He was buried in Centennial Park Cemetery in Pasadena, South Australia.