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Australia

Son of William Edward BAGSHAW and Ellen nee NICHOLL

Clarence was the son of William Edward BAGSHAW & Ellen NICHOLL and was born on the 6th of April 1892 at “Dalebrook” in Morphett Vale, SA.

His parents were married on the 4th of November 1874 by special licence, by Rev. James Pollitt in Adelaide, SA.

His father was the son of John Stokes BAGSHAW & Jane Dale CURNOCK and was born in 1850 and was baptized on the 4th of July 1850 in Adelaide, SA.

His mother was the daughter of Thomas Whittaker NICHOLL & Catherine MCCARTHY and was born in 1854 in Forest Creek, VIC.

*Clarence’s grandfather; John Stokes BAGSHAW founded the well known machinery and implement establishment J.S BAGSHAW & Sons by 1839. It was later known as Horwood Bagshaw Ltd.

Clarence was the ninth child born into the family of 10 children; 9 boys, 1 girl.

His father was a farmer and the Bagshaw family lived between Morphett Vale & Christies Creek (Christies Beach).

The property contained of 638 acres of cropping land and was called “Dalebrook.

The farm straddled the creek, extending north into the land now operated as a sewage treatment plant, south towards what is now Beach Road and east past the junction of Dyson and Flaxmill Road.

Clarence was only 3 years old when his father died on Sunday the 7th of July 1895 at the Emu Hotel, Morphett Vale. He had been attending a public dinner on the 1st of July at Morphett Vale in connection with the District Council election and was returning home in a light cart when, in going round a sharp corner, the cart swerved and he was thrown out and sustained very serious injuries to his back and shoulder. He was taken to the Emu Hotel and attended to by a doctor. He gained consciousness on Friday, but unfortunately he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.

They buried him in the Morphett Vale Scotch Cemetery.

In September 1895 his mother sold the property and on the 23rd of June 1897 she leased Section 2690, 2691 & 2694 Hundred of Macclesfield from John & James Rhind.

This land is located on the North West corner of Tarrawatta & Gemmell Road (now 365 Gemmell Road).

When Clarence was old enough he attended the Bugle Ranges School until the lease ran out on their property and the family moved to Hermitage in late 1900.

His brother William had married in 1900 and moved to Millbrook, so it is possible that this is why Clarence’s mother moved the family to the area of Hermitage. They then moved to Millbrook and named their home “Dale View”.

Clarence attended the Millbrook School an on leaving school he gained employment as a Fitter & Turner in the Bagshaw & Sons family business in Mile End.

At the age of 22, Clarence enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 27th of January 1915 in Keswick and was allotted the service number 2107 and posted to H Company, Base Infantry in Mitcham Camp.

He was then transferred to the 10th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement on the 1st of April and embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A30 Borda on the 23rd of June 1915, disembarking in Egypt.

Not long after he embarked his mother moved to 6 Eton Street, Malvern.

His youngest brother Keith Errol, enlisted into the 6th Field Artillery Brigade on the 20th of September 1915 (12175) and embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A32 Themistocles on the 28th of January 1916.

Clarence served at Gallipoli and on the Western Front and was wounded at Bullecourt.

Clarence embarked for Australia on the 27th of September 1917 on board HMAT Suevic, disembarked in Adelaide on the 18th of November and was discharged from the AIF, medically unfit, on the 10th of December 1917.

Clarence married Ella Maud Hamilton GOOD on the 6th of November 1920 at St Oswald’s Church, Parkside.

Ella was the daughter of Joseph GOOD & Lizzie HAMILTON and was born on the 18th of May 1895 in Kent Town, SA.

They made their home at 7 Hallam Street, Fullarton and called it “Eothen”.

Clarence opened his own motor garage on Bay Road (ANZAC Highway), Plympton and it adjoined the Halfway House Hotel (it was demolished in 1956 and the Highway Inn built in its palce).

They welcomed their first child; Graham Morris BAGSHAW on the 30th of September 1922 at Gunyah Private Hospital, Unley Road.

Clarence died on the 19th of January 1927 in the Wakefield Street Private Hospital from Gangrenous Appendicitis, Peritonitis.

His funeral left his residence, “Eothen”, 7 Hallam Street, Fullarton the following day and he was buried in the West Terrace Cemetery; Eyre North, Path 10N, Aspect E, Plot 10.

Ella never remarried and she died on the 27th of May 1971 in Daw Park and was cremated and interred in the Centennial Park Cemetery; General D, Path 12, Plot 36M.

*His son Graham enlisted into the 2nd AIF on the 10th of April 1941, but he was then discharged to join the RAAF on the 31st of December 1941 (417779).

Graham gained the rank of Warrant Office and was a Wireless Air Gunner attached to 138 Squadron RAF a Lancaster Squadron.

Graham was on board Lancaster RF143 when it took off from RAF Base Tuddenham, Suffolk at 1813 hours on the night of 14/15th April 1945, detailed to bomb Potsdam, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base.

During the mission the aircraft was coned by searchlights and shot down by a night fighter. Six of the 7 crew were killed, including Graham.

Those killed are buried in the Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany.

Military

At the age of 22, Clarence enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 27th of January 1915 in Keswick and was allotted the service number 2107 and posted to H Company, Base Infantry in Mitcham Camp.

He listed his mother, of “Dale View”, Millbrook, as his next of kin.

He was then transferred to the 10th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement on the 1st of April.

Clarence embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A30 Borda on the 23rd of June 1915, disembarking in Egypt.

Following further training Clarence proceeded to Gallipoli and was taken on strength with the 10th Battalion, from the reinforcements on the 4th of August.

On the 10th of September he suffered from Diarrhoea and admitted into the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station on the beach. He was then transferred by Hospital Ship to the 25th British Casualty Clearing Station on the shore at Kephalos, on Imbros Island.

From here he was transferred to the 24th Convalescent Depot at Mudros, finally returning to his Battalion on the 6th of November at Gallipoli.

He then spent November in the trenches before the ANZACS were ordered to evacuate.

He boarded HMAT Seang Bee, disembarking in Alexandria on the 19th of December.

The 10th Battalion was then split to form the nucleus of two battalions, the 10th and the 50th, but Clarence remained with the 10th.

On the 27th of March 1916 Clarence and his Battalion embarked from Alexandria for Marceilles, disembarking on the 3rd of April, and from then on the battalion took part in bitter trench warfare.

They undertook training at Strazeele before moving by train to Godewaersvelde and then Sailly-sur-la-Lys.
In mid-May, they occupied billets in the Petillon Sector and on the 19th of May the billets were shelled resulting in losses amounting to three killed and seven wounded.
On the 6th of June, they entered the front line for the first time on the Western Front, occupying positions around Fleurbaix.

Their first significant action on the Western Front came in late July 1916 when they were involved in the Battle of Pozieres, an effort to secure the village of Pozières and the high ground beyond it as part of the wider Battle of the Somme; their casualties during this battle were around 350.

A month later, they took part in the fighting around Mouquet Farm, incurring over 100 more casualties. Later, they fought around Ypres, in Belgium, in front of Hill 60, before being transferred back to the Somme trenches in the winter, during which time they occupied positions around Guedecourt, Cardonette and Bazentin.

On the 4th of September he was promoted to Lance Corporal.

He suffered from Scabies on the 6th of October and was admitted into the 1st Australian Field Ambulance before rejoining his Battalion at Tournehem. But a few days later he was admitted into the 13th Australian Field Ambulance for 10 days suffering from the same complaint.

Clarence was promoted to Temporary Corporal on the 26th of October 1916.

Up to now the weather, which had been fairly fine, began to break and as they moved up into areas only too familiar, they found that the rain and constant traffic had turned the churned earth into a bog.

They moved into the boggy collapsing trenches at Gueudecourt on the 6th of November where the mud and water was knee deep.

There was not a dry place and when they sank into the mud they couldn’t release themselves and had to be pulled out by others. Men who were fortunate enough to have gumboots had to leave them in the mud and wander in their socks across the mud and mire.

After a week of this, it tried the hearts of even the strongest! In this week over 150 men ere evacuated for feet trouble alone.

They had made it to Cardonette by Christmas Day where parcels were distributed and they finally received a hot meal.

They then moved onto Albert and Clarence was promoted to Corporal on the 21st of January 1917.

Most of February was spent at Albert in training until they moved onto Dernancourt where Clarence was promoted to Corporal on the 3rd of March and then Temporary Sergeant on the 25th of March.

They then made an attack at Lourverval on the 8th & 9th of April, before undertaking a defensive role during the German attack on Lagnicourt on the 15th of April.
This was followed in early May by the Second Battle of Bullecourt.

It was here, near Sunken Road, on the 6th of May 1917 Clarence was promoted to Sergeant. Later the same day Clarence suffered a Gun Shot Wound to his hand (with fractured finger) and a bomb explosion wound to his forearm.

He was transferred to the Australian Field Ambulance and then to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station at Grevillers and the following day was admitted into the 26th General Hospital in Etaples.

On the 9th he embarked on HS St. Denis at Boulogne for England and admitted to Buscombe Hospital the following day.

After 2 weeks he was discharged to No.2 Command Depot, Weymouth awaiting embarkation home to Australia.

Clarence embarked for Australia on the 27th of September 1917 on board HMAT Suevic, disembarked in Adelaide on the 18th of November.

He was discharged from the AIF, medically unfit, on the 10th of December 1917.