DRAFT

Oliver Philip Clement was born in Penrice on 26 January 1896. He was the son of Phillip and Ann Clement.

He was baptized at the Parish Church in Penrice on 22 March 1896. In the parish register, his parent’s address was given as Bysouth and his fathers occupation was Farmer.

Oliver and his family continued to live on Bysouth/By South Farm, Penrice throughout his childhood and he attended Gowerton School.

When war was declared, Oliver along with his brother Walter joined the army. Oliver joined the 1st Welsh Howitzers and Walter the Glamorgan Yeomanry. Neither of the brothers would have seen much of the home or their family until after War.

Oliver was demobilized in late 1919 and started work as a Drapers Assistant at Edwards in Swansea.

On 26 December 1922, Oliver married Violet Ethel Framce at Holy Trinity Church, Swansea. On his marriage certificate, he gave his address as Bryn Coed, Mount Pleasant and occupation as Draper.

By the time of the 1939 Register, the couple had moved to live in the Gower at a house called Kantara. They had also welcomed a child, although their name is redacted from the record.

Oliver Philip Clement passed away at the age of 84 on New Years Day 1980. The records give his address as 27 Hen Parc La, Upper Killay, Swansea.

Oliver Philip Clement enlisted in the 1st Welsh Howitzers as a Gunner following the outbreak of the Great War and was given the Brigade service number 1057.

Unfortunately, his Service Record was destroyed during the Blitz and there is very little other surviving information. However, it is still possible to provide an outline about what it is likely that he did during the War.

Based on his Service Number, Gnr O.P. Clement enlisted on 8 October 1914 in the second wave of war-time recruits. He would have undertaken his basic training in Swansea and joined the Brigade in early 1915 in either Cambridge or Bedford where they continued to ready themselves for active service.

The Brigade finally received orders to move to France in November 1915, and according to a surviving record, Gnr. Wilcox was one of the 401 men who travelled from Southampton to Le Havre on the night of 21/22 November 1915.

From Le Havre, the Brigade travelled to the Somme to undertake frontline training in an area close to Albert which would mark the Southern edge of the Somme battlefield just 6 months later.

Just before Christmas 1915, the Brigade withdrew from the front-line and in January 1916, received orders to rejoin the rest of the 53rd Welsh Division in Egypt.

The Brigade shipped from Marseilles to Alexandria in February 1916 and moved to Beni Salama near Cairo to acclimatise. The Gower Parish Roll of Honour (Dec 1915) confirms that Gnr Clement served in Egypt, so it is reasonable to assume that he travelled with the rest of the Brigade.

It is not known what role Gnr Clement played in the Egypt/Palestine campaign, although the Brigade was involved in Suez Canal Defences (1916), the 3 Battles of Gaza and march into Jerusalem (1917) and the subsequent push through the Judean Hills until the defeat of the Turkish Armies (1918).

Prior to the end of the war, he transferred from the Royal Field Artillery to the Royal Engineers as a Pioneer. His family still treasure a photo of him in Royal Engineers uniform in the Middle East dated 20 February 1919.

Pnr Clement returned home and was finally discharged on 13 August 1919.

For his service in the Great War, Oliver Philip Clement was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.