Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Clarence Arthur was the fourth of seven children. He was born on the 7th August 1912 to William Teague and Margaret Johns. Known as Clarrie, he had 3 brothers and 3 sisters: William Teague, Emma Gertrude Mary, Bennett, Audrey Annie, Roma Florence and Colin Ralph.
Conditions at the time were tough for families. Just weeks after his tenth birthday, Clarrie’s 39-year-old mother, Margaret died on the 25th December 1922. She had given birth to a son in July that year.
Clarrie worked as a farmhand in the Geranium area of the Southern Murray Mallee. He had turned 25 when his 57-year-old father died in March 1938. Soon after, WWII was declared and the year after the death of his father, 27-year-old Clarrie enlisted on the 22nd June ’40. As the war continued, his youngest brother, 19-year-old Colin also enlisted as SX15457 in December ‘41, rising to the rank of Corporal in the 10th/48th Battalion. Both listed their oldest brother, William as their next of kin.
On return from Pre-embarkation leave Clarrie was promoted to Acting Corporal for the duration of the voyage to the Middle East on the Stratheden. The ship left Adeliade on the 17th November, travelling via Freemantle before arriving a month later in the Middle East. Perhaps because of his country background, Clarrie became a driver in the desert conditions. These were made more hazardous as lights could not be used, the terrain was unknown and subjected to change and many travels were of necessity at night. Seatbelts were certainly not invented.
In November ’41, Driver Clarrie took Lieut-Colonel Windeyer and Sergeant J. Glenn on a ten-day tour of Syria to enable Windeyer to lecture on Tobruk. In May the following year, the battalion was camped in the treeless, windswept Tourbol on the Libyan-Egyptian border. Its strategic port location was essential as a supply point for the movement of supplies, men and equipment. It was here that John Glenn, in Tobruk to Tarakan described how there were a series of fatal accidents ‘that robbed the battalion of some fine men who had given such sterling service through Tobruk.’ Driver Clarrie had the C.O’s car to take three batmen to collect laundry from Tripoli. Returning in the dark, with the road marked only by white stones and unable to use lights of any description, Glen described how ‘At a sharp bend near an old bridge about five miles from Tourbol the car left the road and landed on its hood about sixteen about feet down, then slid a further seventy feet to the river bed. Privates SX7965 Vincent Delaney, Johns, Jeffrey and VX38662 Thomas J. Skehill were badly injured, Skehill dying a few days later. The car was a complete write-off.’”
Clarrie had run over the side of a bridge at Miriata in Syria. Clarrie and the other three privates were severely injured. Unfortunately, Clarrie sustained a possible crack to his neck vertebrae at the time, also injuring his neck muscle and was evacuated to the 2/3rd Feld Ambulance and thence to the British General Hospital where an axial dislocation of his cervical spine was diagnosed.
Inevitably, a Court of Enquiry was held on October ’42. It determined that Clarry’s excessive speed contributed to the accident, but that this was determined to be ‘an error of Judgement, rather than negligence.’ For such a tragic event, this was perhaps the fairest outcome, but it affected Clarrie. Just days prior to his battalion leaving the Middle East to return to Australia, he received a fine for conduct to the prejudice of good order. The return of the battalion was well overdue for all the survivors of the 2/48th. They were very much changed men but extremely proud of their unofficial title of being Rats of Tobruk. The term, designed to destroy morale of the men, had the opposite effect. By February ’43 they was on the way home, via Melbourne. On the voyage, Clarrie contracted an upper respiratory tract infection causing him to be further hospitalised on the Ship. It was not until September ’43 that he was able to return to his original battalion, the 2/48th.
With precious time available while on leave, Clarrie married Valerie Elizabeth Bruggemann on the 20th March ’43 in Norwood. Clarrie then undertook training at the Signals School over June ’43, receiving an ‘average’ result. The battalion was involved in training in the humidity and jungle-like conditions in Queensland. He then had a stint in the tropical Milne Bay of New Guinea but within two months had succumbed to malaria. Once discharged from the field ambulance, in January ’44 Clarrie was promoted to Acting Corporal for the second time. The following month back in Brisbane he was further promoted to Corporal. His poor general health contributed to Clarrie being transferred to the Base Depot with severe mouth ulcerations in July ’45 prior to his discharge on the 6th September ’45.
He and Valerie welcomed their son, Christian Johns in ’45 but tragically he died in 1950. He had been named after Valerie’s father. Their much-loved daughter, Elizabeth arrived later. Clarrie applied for a war home, a scheme that seemed to move slowly, despite the support of communities for their returned servicemen.
84-year-old Clarrie died on the 8th September 1996 at Reynella. He was buried in the Enfield Memorial Park at Clearview in General Plot, Row H, Site 27. Valerie lived to be 75 and died on the 3rd of December ’33, resting now with Clarrie.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.