Clarence Smith Jeffries VC (1894 - 1917)

Ancestors

Biography

Clarence Smith Jeffries VC

Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries VC was born on 26th October 1894 in Wallsend, eleven kilometres west of Newcastle in the Hunter Valley coalfields of New South Wales (Australia). He was the only child of Welsh-born Joshua Jeffries, a colliery manager, and his New South Wales-born wife Barbara Steel. ^[1]

Upon completion of his formal education, Clarence was employed as a surveyor at a mining company where his father then served as general manager.

He joined the 14th (Hunter River) Infantry Regiment in 1912 as a Private and, showing admirable leadership potential, was promoted to Sergeant the following year. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 22nd August 1914, upon the outbreak of war and tasked with the instruction of volunteers for the newly raised Australian Imperial Force. Transferring into the Australian Imperial Force himself in 1916, Clarence embarked HMAT Hororata with the 34th Infantry Battalion (Maitland's Own) for service on the Western Front. ^[2]

The battalion participated in its first major battle in June 1917, in the Battle of Messines, near the village of Messines (now Mesen) in West Flanders. During the engagement, Clarence received a bullet wound to the thigh while leading a reconnaissance patrol and was evacuated to the 3rd General Hospital in London. While recuperating he was promoted to Captain, rejoining his battalion in September as a company commander.

Victoria Cross

On 12th October 1917, the 34th Battalion took part in the 3rd Division's attack on Passchendaele, West Flanders, known either as the Battle of Passchendaele or the Third Battle of Ypres. For his actions during the battle, Jeffries was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross, the notification of which was published in the London Gazette on 18th December 1917. ^[3] His citation read: ^[4]

"His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Victoria Cross to ... Capt. Clarence Smith Jeffries, late Australian Imperial Force. For most conspicuous bravery in attack, when his company was held up by enemy machine-gun fire from concrete emplacements. Organising a party, he rushed one emplacement, capturing four machine guns and thirty-five prisoners. He then led his company forward under extremely heavy enemy artillery barrage and enfilade machine-gun fire to the objective. Later, he again organised a successful attack on a machine-gun emplacement, capturing two machine guns and thirty more prisoners. This gallant officer was killed during the attack, but it was entirely due to his bravery and initiative that the centre of the attack was not held up for a lengthy period. His example had a most inspiring influence."

Captain Clarence Jeffries VC was killed in action near Passchendaele, Flanders during The Great War.

Jeffries was killed during the action on 12th October 1917, fourteen days short of his twenty-third birthday. His remains are buried in the Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Flanders, Belgium. Clarence Smith Jeffries's name is located at panel 124 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. ^[5] Following the war, Clarence's parents were issued his 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

The Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries Memorial Park was established in 1947 at Abermain, west of Newcastle. ^[6] In 1976, the Jeffries and Currey Memorial Library was opened by the then Governor of New South Wales, Sir Roden Cutler VC, at Dudley Public School to honour two of the school's pupils who were decorated with the Victoria Cross during the First World War: Clarence Jeffries and William Currey. ^[7] The pair are also commemorated by the Capt. Clarence Smith Jeffries (VC) and Pte. William Matthew Currey (VC) Memorial Wall located in the grounds of Sandgate General Cemetery, Newcastle. ^[8]

Upon his mother's death in 1964, Clarence's medal set was bequeathed to the Warriors Chapel at Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle; where they remain on display.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #34973/1894
2. ↑ Australian War Memorial unit record: 34th Australian Infantry Battalion; accessed 13 Apr 2019
3. ↑ Australian War Memorial Honours and Awards: Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries; accessed 13 Apr 2019
4. ↑ London Gazette 14 December 1917 Supplement: 30433 Page: 13222; accessed 13 Apr 2019
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries; accessed 13 Apr 2019
6. ↑ Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries Memorial Park; accessed 13 Apr 2019
7. ↑ Jeffries and Currey Memorial Library; accessed 13 Apr 2019
8. ↑ Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries (VC) and Private William Matthew Currey (VC) Memorial Wall; accessed 13 Apr 2019

See also

• Blanch, Craig and Pegram, Aaron. For Valour: Australians Awarded the Victoria Cross. New South Publishing, Sydney NSW, 2018. ISBN 978-1-7422-3542-4.
• Hopley, J B. 'Jeffries, Clarence Smith (1894–1917)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1983, accessed online 13 Apr 2019.
• Wikipedia profile: 'Clarence Jeffries'; accessed 13 Apr 2019.
• WikiTree Free Space Page: Victoria Cross Recipients - Australia.