Clem Ayliffe (1921 - 1942)

Ancestors

Biography

Clem Ayliffe was born on 19th December 1921 in Kingscote, South Australia, Australia. He was the son of William Ayliffe and Catherine Page. ^[1]

On 20th June 1940 in Kingscote, Clem enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force, his nation's overseas expeditionary force for the Second World War. He was allocated to the 2/27th Australian Infantry Battalion. ^[2]

On 19th October the battalion left Woodside by train for Melbourne where it sailed for overseas on 21st October. The 2/27th disembarked in Egypt on 24th November and moved straight to Palestine to complete its training. ^[3]

As a unit of the 21st Brigade, 7th Australian Division, the 2/27th's first operational assignment of war was to bolster the defences along the Egypt-Libya frontier against an expected German attack. It occupied positions at Maaten Bagush and Matruh throughout much of April and May 1941, before returning to Palestine in preparation for its first offensive operation – the liberation of Syria and Lebanon, which began on 8th June. The 2/27th was employed in the drive north along the Lebanon coast but most of its operations were outflanking moves in the hills that edged the coastal plain. Its major actions were at Adloun on 11th June, Miyeoumiye on 13-14th June and around El Boum, as part of the battle of Damour, between 6 and 9 July. After the armistice of 12th July, the 2/27th remained in Lebanon as part of the Allied garrison until 11th January 1942. ^[3]

After sailing from Egypt on 30th January 1942, the 2/27th disembarked in Adelaide on 24th March. The battalion's stay in Australia, however, was brief as on 14th August it arrived at Port Moresby in Papua, and by 6th September it was in position at Mission Ridge on the Kokoda Trail preparing to meet the relentless advance of the Japanese. The battalion held on to its positions for two days before being forced to pull out by a Japanese outflanking move that cut the Trail behind it. A grim two-week withdrawal through the jungle, with little food, followed. Sick and exhausted, the 2/27th re-joined the main Australian force at Jawarere, forty kilometres east of Port Moresby, on 22nd September. After a period of rest and retraining the 2/27th returned to action at Gona, on Papua's north coast. It suffered heavily in series of rushed and ill-conceived attacks and was further assailed by the ravages of tropical disease. ^[3]

Clem was killed in action on 23rd November 1942 in Papua. Clem Ayliffe's name is located at panel 54 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra and at the Port Moresby Memorial, Papua New Guinea. ^[4] Following the war his family was issued his campaign and service medals: 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-1945 and Australia Service Medal 1939-1945.

Sources

1. ↑ South Australia Birth Index #88A/289; registered at Yankalilla
2. ↑ Department of veterans' Affairs nominal roll: SX5951 Private Clem Ayliffe; accessed 19 Sep 2022
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Australian War Memorial unit record: 2/27th Australian Infantry Battalion; accessed 19 Sep 2022
4. ↑ Australian War Memorial roll of honour: SX5951 Private Clem Ayliffe; accessed 19 Sep 2022

See also:

• Clem Ayliffe Virtual War Memorial Australia