Clement Everly (Clem) BRADFORD MM and Bar

BRADFORD, Clement Everly

Service Number: 2730
Enlisted: 28 May 1915, Keswick, South Australia
Last Rank: Sergeant
Last Unit: 50th Infantry Battalion
Born: Ashbourne, South Australia, 17 June 1896
Home Town: Murray Bridge, Murray Bridge, South Australia
Schooling: Mount Barker High School, South Australia
Occupation: Shop Assistant
Died: Influenza, Harefield, England, United Kingdom, 12 October 1918, aged 22 years
Cemetery: Harefield (St. Mary) Churchyard
Grave Reference (Aust. 71) ,
Memorials: Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Marion District Roll of Honour WW1, Mount Barker Soldiers' Memorial Hospital Roll of Honor, Murray Bridge Hospital Memorial Gates
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World War 1 Service

28 May 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2730, Keswick, South Australia
21 Sep 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2730, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1,

--- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: ''

21 Sep 1915: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2730, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Adelaide
23 Jul 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2730, 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières
26 Sep 1916: Transferred AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 50th Infantry Battalion
12 Oct 1918: Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 2730, 50th Infantry Battalion, "The Last Hundred Days",

--- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2730 awm_unit: 50 Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1918-10-12

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Biography contributed by Kathleen Bambridge

On the 6 March 1920 General Birdwood presented his Military Medal and Bar to his mother.

Biography

Sergeant Clement (Clem) Everly Bradford, 50th Battalion from Murray Bridge, South Australia embarked as a Private with the 9th Reinforcements of the 10th Battalion from Adelaide on 21 September 1915 and was taken on 10th Battalion's strength at Gallipoli in November. Following the evacuation of Gallipoli Peninsula the battalion returned to Egypt where with the expansion of the AIF he was among the 50% of the 'Fighting 10th' transferred to form the 50th Battalion.

While serving on the Western Front (France and Flanders)with the 50th Battalion he was promoted through the ranks to Sergeant and  awarded the Military Medal for exceptional courage on operations on 12 August 1918 near Bray-Sur-Somme, France. In 1918, for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty on 18 September near St Quentin, France, he was awarded a bar to the Military Medal

Note:

Clement's eldest brother John William Archie Bradford was an original member of C Company 10th Battalion but after being wounded at Gallipoli was invalided back to Australia on 31 October 1915

Another of his brothers, Sidney Charles Bradford MM, also older than 'Clem' enlisted at Morphettville where his attestation papers were signed by Lieutenant Kayser of the 10th Battalion who was later killed in action at Gallipoli.

Sidney like a good many other South Australian and Broken Hill recruits would have undergone his initial training with the 10th Battalion and must have been disappointed when informed they had been allotted to the 12 Battalion.

The 3rd Brigade "All Australia Brigade" 1st Division AIF comprised of the 9th,(Qld) 10th, (SA & Broken Hill NSW) 11th (WA) and 12th Battalions (Tas & SA) was chosen by the divisional commander Major-General Bridges to have the great honour of being the covering force for the ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915.

After recovering from wounds he received in action Sidney was transferred to the 50th Battalion in April 1916 and no doubt would have been pleased to be serving with his youngest brother Clement.

 On 12 October 1918, while on leave in England, Sergeant Clement Everly Bradford MM & Bar was admitted to the Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield Park in England but there died of Heart Failure, secondary Influenza, Pneumonia; he was 22 years of age.

 

 

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