CLIFFORD, Charles
| Service Number: | 4386 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 November 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 20th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Windsor, New South Wales, Australia, 27 August 1892 |
| Home Town: | Windsor, Hawkesbury, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 20 September 1917, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 23), Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4386, 20th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 4386, 20th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 4386, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Nestor, Sydney | |
| 14 Jul 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 20th Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 4386, 20th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4386 awm_unit: 20 Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-09-20 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Charles CLIFFORD, (Service Number 4386), was born on 27 August 1892, and he was 17 when he joined the tramways as an apprentice clerk in Sydney, in the Traffic Trams branch. He remained in Sydney and in the Traffic Trams branch, but he was promoted to junior clerk on 1 January 1911, and by 29 August 1914, he was promoted to clerk. He joined the AIF on 2 November 1915, at the age of 23, and was a Private.
Submitted 1 June 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Charles CLIFFORD, (Service Number 4386), was born on 27th August 1892. He was 17 when he joined the tramways as an apprentice clerk in Sydney (in the Traffic Branch of the Tramways). He remained in Sydney. He was promoted to junior clerk on 1st January 1911. By 29th August 1914, he had been promoted to clerk. He joined the AIF on 2nd November 1915 at the age of 23. He was a Private. At this time, he listed his father, also Charles Clifford, as his next of kin. He embarked from Sydney in early 1916. On 5th June 1916 he went to France from England.
On 23rd September 1916, Charles joined the 20th Battalion in Belgium. On 14th July 1917, he was appointed Lance Corporal in France. He was killed in action on 20th September 1917 in Belgium.
Since he has no known grave, his name is recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres, Flanders, Belgium.
Charles Clifford left a will, which left all his remaining possessions and wealth to his parents, to be split equally – the possessions that were sent to his next of kin were a belt, a damaged metal watch, a metal ring, two coins, three religious charms, a diary, a wallet, a notebook, a prayer book, and photos. However, by the time of Clifford’s passing, his parents had both also died, and so these possessions went to his oldest remaining brother, H Clifford. His brother also received on his behalf the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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