Clifford Roy LOADER

Badge Number: 28153, Sub Branch: Payneham
28153

LOADER, Clifford Roy

Service Number: 1375
Enlisted: 3 December 1914, 2nd Reinforcements
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 1st Pioneer Battalion
Born: Payneham, Norwood/Payneham, South Australia, 1 January 1895
Home Town: Payneham, Norwood Payneham St Peters, South Australia
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Carpenter’s labourer
Died: Natural Causes, 16 First Avenue Payneham South, 21 July 1972, aged 77 years
Cemetery: Not yet discovered
Memorials: Broken Hill Barrier District Roll of Honour
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World War 1 Service

3 Dec 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1375, 10th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements
2 Feb 1915: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1375, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Clan McGillivray embarkation_ship_number: A46 public_note: ''
12 Apr 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1375, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli
12 Feb 1916: Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 1st Pioneer Battalion, Transferred because of his trade skills as a carpenter

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Biography

Clifford Roy Loader was born in Payneham South Australia in 1894. Is parent’s names were Hannah and Timothy James Loader. He was a carpenter. The family lived in Thomas lane, off Zambina Street in Broken Hill. They were a Methodist family.

Before the First World War Clifford was already serving in the military being a member of the 82nd infantry giving him good prior experience to the 1st world war. He also had a job as a carpenter’s labourer which was related to his father. It is believed that Clifford joined the First World because he had a sense of patriotism and duty to his country as well as the fact that he was already involved in the military.

He enlisted on 3 December 1914 in Oaklands South Australia as a private and was given the Regimental Number 1375. Clifford was 19 years and ten months old when he enlisted. He had a tattoo of an anchor on his right arm when he enlisted. He was five feet and five and half inches tall and fair complexion and brown hair with grey eyes.

When he was accepted he was part of the 1st Pioneer Battalion. This battalion consisted of carpenters builders and the like. They helped out in construction of temporary and permanent buildings during the war. He travelled to Melbourne to catch a military ship (HMAT Clan McGillivray A46) which embarked on 2 February 1915. It would have taken him a couple of months to sail overseas, but we only have information from his service record that shows he was in Mustapha on 4 September 1915 and in Mudras on 10 September 1915. On Anzac Day (25 April 1915) Clifford was training in Cyro, Egypt. His records show that he was transferred into the 10th Infantry Battalion on landing overseas where he was part of the second reinforcement battalion at Gallipoli landing on 2 October 1915.

On 30 October the same year he was transferred to a field hospital. On the 2 November 1915 he was transferred to a hospital ship heading to Malta as he was suffering Dysentery due to the lack of sanitary in the trenches. On 16 January 1916 he was sent to Cairo, Egypt on another hospital ship.

Once he had recovered from Dysentery Clifford was transferred to the 1st Pioneer Battalion which sailed to France on 2 April 1916. A pioneer battalion’s role is to perform engineering and construction support services. Clifford would have been useful in the construction division because of his carpentry skills.

Details of what he did in France are not specified however he served in France for over 2 years during the time of fighting on the Western Front. Unfortunately he fell ill again on 19 April 1917 with illness. He was released 2 months later to return to service. Clifford was promoted from Private to Lance Corporal on 12 June 1918 only to be further promoted the following day to Corporal. This is believed to be because he was supervising a construction site and was intrusted meaning he was trustworthy.

The war ended on 11 November 1918 while Clifford was still in France. Clifford was transferred to England from France on 3 January 1919. Clifford’s personal life during the war is unclear but seems complicated. In a letter from his mother in March 1919 he is apparently married as the letter mentions his wife. A month later he is reported for bigamy and handed over to police in Glasgow for trial. He is tried for bigamy and imprisoned for 2 months. He was demoted to private at this time.

He was released from prison on 30 June 1919. After this time he was granted extended leave with pay (and then without pay for business reasons).

On 22 September 1919 he returned to the 1st Pioneer Battalion to complete his service. On 8 December 1919 he married Margaret Archibald, who was a divorcee from Glasgow.

Clifford and his wife left for Australia on the HMV Themistooles on 22 December 1919 and arrived in Australia on 3 February 1920.

On 3 April 1920 Clifford Roy Loader was discharged from the 1st Pioneer Battalion and two months after that he received his 1914/15 Star Medal. He also received the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.

He settled in Adelaide and lived in Prospect. Clifford’s date of death is unknown despite the fact that he returned to Australia.

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