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Clarence, born on the 26th April 1904 at Port Adelade, was the second of three sons of Thomas Charles and Louisa Stephens Duffield. He had three sisters, Eva, Edith Phoebe Sarah and Ruth and three brothers Thomas George and Perce. Sadly, a younger brother born five years after Clarence, Ernest Harold died in December 1909 and was buried in the Woodville Cemetery.
The family lived at Birkenhead on the LeFevre Peninsula near the Port River where Thomas worked with the South Australia Harbours Board. Clarence (Clarrie) and his siblings attended the Port Adelaide School where Clarrie won a scholarship awarded by the Port Adelaide Institute to students in the local public schools in May 1918. This was presented in a formal ceremony in the Town Hall.
In later years, unemployed at the time, 27-year-old Clarrie was one of a group of young men who were caught playing ‘two-up’, in a vacant block near the Portland pumping station in December ’31. Others who had been at the game escaped, some by jumping fully clothed into the Port River, avoiding fines of £1. The popular game was illegal and at the time, had caused several complaints from wives whose husbands did not bring home their weekly wages. Consequently, much tougher fines came into effect in the following weeks. (Ironically, if those caught were unable to pay the fine, they were imprisoned for a week, in an era of much harsher penalties.) For Clarrie, it was a pastime he would become more familiar with as a soldier.
Post school, Clarrie worked at Daw Park in the maintenance section of the Holden Motor Body Works and was also a member of the Citizen Forces. He and Gwyneth May Grant married on the 27th April ’35, then lived in Largs Bay where their first child was born. However, with the outbreak of WWII Clarrie was one of many workers from Holden who enlisted. He was amongst the first on the 5th July 1940, being allocated the number SX7835. Enlisting at a similar time were two brothers, also from the Port Adelaide area. They were a younger man, 24-year-old Thomas Woodall who became SX7212 and his 29-year-old brother John SX7215. Tom and Clarrie’s fortunes were similar during the Siege of Tobruk. All three served in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion.
40-year-old Thomas George, Clarrie’s older brother, who had owned his own boot-making shop, later enlisted on the 19th May 1942 in Adelaide. He became 48348 in the R.A.A.F.
Clarrie’s initial days were spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds with the new enlistees then heading to Woodside for their preliminary training. Following pre-embarkation leave, the 2/48th contingent embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, on the 7th November 1940, arriving on the 17th December 1940. The soldiers completed a few months training in Cyrenaica where Clarrie developed a bacterial infection on his neck followed a few weeks later by a further streptococcus infection causing him to receive hospital treatment. He was soon in Tobruk where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge. He was to become one of the famed Rats of Tobruk, in the most highly decorated but decimated Battalion.
Notable writer (and poet) Kenneth Slessor had written about the role of stretcher bearers during the fierce fighting in the Middle East. Both the Advertiser and the Chronicle in September ’42 carried an article and photo of Clarrie and Slessor's references to South Australian stretcher bearers’ splendid and heroic work in Egypt. “Clarrie Duffield’s vainly waving the Red Cross flag, and then nonchalantly going on with his work is characteristic of him, so a West Coast friend, who knows him well, tells me "The Fat Wog" to his comrades, and called the life of the party at Tobruk. Here you see him sitting in a rubbish bin in Haifa after the Libyan campaign. With him are other stretcher; bearers and bandsmen—Don Kerin. Fred Wooldridge, Sgt. Bandmaster Budgeon and Drum Major "Duke" Goldsmith.”
Promoted to Acting Corporal, Clarrie was involved in one of the fiercest battles with the 2/48th. Montgomery had ordered the 9th Battalion to attack northward. This included an all-out attack on the strategically positioned Trig 29. Conditions were ever-changing and the fighting continuous. The 2/48th Battalion prepared for the second battle of El Alamein which began on October 23rd. The evening was described by John Glenn in ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’ as ‘an occasional burst from a machine gun disturbed the night of 24th October. Nevertheless, it was a busy time for the tired men. Little or no sleep could be had. A hot meal sent forward after dark was quickly swallowed. There was no time for yarning. Defences had to be improved, more digging and wiring done, and patrols sent out.’ He later added that ‘the 2/48th had stirred up a real hornets’ nest.’ On that night alone 9 of the Battalion were killed and 20 wounded in action. Of these 16 were from South Australia and the remainder from Western Australia.
Derrick Paech in Adelaide to Alamein, also described the heavy fire. “The noise was earth shattering. As much as you felt like going to ground, you just kept plugging on. I kept thinking the next shell could have my number on it. You could smell them going past.” Glenn also explained they were ‘running into particularly stiff opposition to the west of the Trig point. It was only after hard fighting, with heavy casualties on both sides, that they were able to consolidate on their objective. Gradually the platoon, small in number to start with, was being whittled away and those remaining were being forced to go to ground.’
Glenn also commented that ‘the stretcher bearers were doing a grand job. They were a fine group of men, who had been in the thick of the fighting, doing their job with great courage and with devotion to duty of a high order. This small band had suffered heavy casualties in April, when five were killed in action. Their care of the wounded and their kindness brought forth the praise of every man in the battalion. It was small wonder that a high percentage of decorations were awarded to them. Clarrie Duffield was the hero of a notable instance of unselfish bravery. In recounting the incident that won Clarrie the Military Medal he added ‘he was hit by a shell splinter, but half blinded by dust and smoke, continued on and succeeded in getting (Private Ron Smith) back to the regimental Aid Post and the care of Captain Dawkins.’
In details later released, the Advertiser and News both carried the story in their mid-November ‘42 issue of two of the South Australian infantry men who were awarded the Military Medal for gallantry during the historic siege of Tobruk. One was Alfred Wright SX6162 in the sister battalion, the 2/43rd who had enlisted a fortnight before Clarrie on the 21st June. He had picked up and carried to safety two of his wounded comrades while still under heavy fire. Clarrie’s report was similarly unselfishly heroic;
"Always An Inspiration" SX7835 Pte. Clarence William Duffield, inf.—As chief stretcher bearer of his squad, Pte. Duffield's courage and soldierly conduct were most exemplary. During his battalion's service in Tobruk for seven months in 1941 his gallantry and kindness to the wounded were at all times an inspiration. One outstanding instance of Pte. Duffield's unselfish bravery and devotion was on August 10, 1941, at Tobruk in attending and protecting a wounded man while under heavy shell fire. A private soldier was wounded when an enemy shell exploded in a section of the trench which he was sharing with his company commander. As shelling continued the company commander moved to an alternative post. He was helping the wounded man to this post when Pte. Duffield saw them. He immediately left the shelter of his own post and ran regardless of danger to assist them. Pte. Duffield applied first aid, and, as the wounded man had fainted, he lay across him to protect his head and chest with bis own body from shell fragments which were falling all around. Some of these fragments struck Duffield in the back.’
The News followed this report with the information that ‘Mrs. C. W. Duffield, of Hart street, Glanville, has been notified that her husband, Cpl. C. W. Duffield, has been wounded in action in Egypt.’. The same article also reported that Tom Woodall, who had enlisted with Clarrie was also wounded, with photos of both men accompanying the article. (Sadly, 28-year-old Tom was to die of his wounds in New Guinea in November ’43.)
Back home the November ’42 issue of the Chronicle carried an extensive list of the cost to the soldiers involved in Clarrie’s battalion. SX11130 Pte. Ernest W S. Moore from Nth. Kensington and SX13756 Pte. Edward G. Davis, from Salisbury were killed in action. SX8096 A-Cpl. Henry D. Laughton, from King's Park was listed as Dangerously Wounded. Many others were listed as wounded in action including SX10316 Mjr. Geoffrey S. Edmunds, Toorak; SX9064 Lt. Hugh F. Treloar, Adelaide; SX8402 Pte. Arnold R. Dolan, Renmark; SX6910 Pte. Hoard Major, Woodville; SX6832 Pte. Walter J. Fennell, Berri; SX13701 Pte. Frank M. Lowe, Whyalla; SX7609 Pte. Colin H. Rickard, Penola; SX7411 Pte. Walter H. J. Hay, Murray Bridge; SX7122 Pte. Percival G. Bartholomew, Narrung; SX11828 Pte. Roy H. Winter, Thebarton; SX7242 Pte. P. A. Pfeiffer, Berri; SX7130 Pte. Eric A. Goold, Salisbury; SX6829 L-Cpl. Clement R. P. Billing, Pinnaroo; SX10501 Pte. Hedley K. Bonython, Burnside; SX7591 Cpl. Jack S. Bowers, Unley; SX7666 Pte. Eric J. Chuck, Kalangadoo; SX8810 Pte. Havard (Howard) R. Crabb, Whyalla; SX13683 Pte. Sydney L. Farrell Broken Hill: SX7657 Pte. Myers A. Geraghy, Pt . Macdonnell; SX7266 Sgt. Neil Gilchrist, Balaklava; SX9376 Pte. Harold H. Gogel, Moorook; SX11131 Pte. H. N. Headon, Adelaide; SX7642 Pte Donald J. Kerin, Burra; SX8837 Pte. Edgar V. W. Lynch, Adelaide; SX9445 Pte. Lawerence H. Mickan, Cummins; SX7025 A-L/Cpl. Paul B. Morrissey King's Park; SX9530 Pte. David R. Munn, Colonel Light Gardens: SX5030 Pte. Eric R. Olds, Adelaide; SX8239 Pte. Colin R. Parsons, Minlaton; SX8904 Pte. Keith Player, Warooka; SX6915 Cpl. Glyn H. Pope, Cheltenham; SX13012 Pte. Jack Ralla, Brompton; SX7410 Cpl. Robert F. G. Ranford, Davington; SX14283 Pte. John D Seebohm, Tantanoola; SX11302 Pte. Walter Sharp, Magill; SX7206 Pte. Ronald. C. Smith, Helmsdale; SX6894 Pte. Thomas V. Trish, Mile End; SX7221 Pte. William H. Vivian, Albert Park; SX7689 Pte. John E. Wakeman, Robe; SX11160 Pte. Samuel E. Welsh, Adelaide and SX7808 Sgt, Jack K. Weston, Appila.
By the time Clarrie had recovered and re-joined the 2/48th, the battalion was preparing to leave the Middle East. In a final ‘honour’ bestowed on him, on New Year’s Day 1943 a ‘Donkey Derby’ race was held for the men. Clarrie was named as ‘Vet’ for the Derby with the programme of events including the ‘Hammer Handicap’ and the ‘Middle East Mile’ amongst the six events. Finally, the much decimated 2/48th Battalion returned home via Melbourne in February, ’43.
Clarrie’s health continued to give cause for concern as he approached his 40th birthday; particularly considering his battle experiences and the residual ongoing trauma associated with his exemplary service. High Blood Pressure and heart problems caused Clarrie to be hospitalised for several months. Clarrie’s heart problems inevitably contributed to his discharge on the 7th November ’43. He could return to the role of husband and father.
A fortnight later, his 71-year-old father died in hospital on the 19th November ’43 and was interred in the Cheltenham Cemetery. Louisa, also 71, died in July 1950 and was buried alongside. Clarrie’s older brother Thomas was discharged on the 27th August ’46.
60-year-old Clarence died on the 9th October 1964 and is buried in the Centennial Park Cemetery, RSL wall 138 Niche B013. Gwyneth lived to be 89 and died in August ’97.
Written and researched by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.