Clarence Smith Jeffries
Captain, 34th Battalion. (New South Wales). Australian Imperial Force
- Register No.
- 637 (Alf's numbering, from The Register of the Victoria Cross, 1997)
- Rank
- Captain all Captains →
- Unit
- 34th Battalion. (New South Wales). Australian Imperial Force (register: 34th Battalion, AIF) all AIF VCs →
- Date of action
- 12 October 1917 on this day → all of 1917 →
- Conflict / campaign
- First World War
- London Gazette
- 18th December, 1917 on this day → all of 1917 →
- Born
- 26th October, 1894 at Wallsend, Newcastle, New South Wales,
- Died
- in action on 12th October 1917 at Passchendaele, Belgium
- Award
- Posthumous all posthumous VCs →
- Memorial / grave
- grave in Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Belgium under on the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia
Digest of citation
On 12th October 1917 at Passchendaele, Belgium, with a party of men he had organised, Captain Jeffries rushed a machine-gun emplacement, capturing four machine-guns and 35 prisoners. He then led his company forward under a extremely heavy artillery barrage and enfilading machine-gun fire to the objective. Later, he again organised a successful attack on a machine-gun position, capturing two machine guns and 30 more presents. He was killed during the second attack
From Alf Askin's research notes
Reproduced as Alf wrote it, c. 2000–2005. Spelling and abbreviations are his own.
JEFFRIES, Clarence Smith. (reg No. 637).
Captain. 34th Battalion. (New South Wales). Australian Imperial Force.
London Gazetted on 18th December, 1917.
Born on 26th October, 1894 at Wallsend, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
Killed in action on 12th October 1917 at Passchendaele, Belgium.
Memorial at grave in Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Belgium under on the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia.
Digest of Citation reads:. On 12th October 1917 at Passchendaele, Belgium, with a party of men he had organised, Captain Jeffries rushed a machine-gun emplacement, capturing four machine-guns and 35 prisoners. He then led his company forward under a extremely heavy artillery barrage and enfilading machine-gun fire to the objective. Later, he again organised a successful attack on a machine-gun position, capturing two machine guns and 30 more presents. He was killed during the second attack.
Australia.
Visit the grave or memorial
Alf recorded the memorial as: grave in Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Belgium under on the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia
Map links open a search for the place name Alf recorded; please check opening times and exact locations before travelling. Many VC graves have since been restored by the Victoria Cross Trust.
Research this recipient further
Would you like to honour Clarence Smith Jeffries by sponsoring this page from £1 a month — in memory of someone, in your own name or for your company? Sponsor this page.