Clifford is a village 4.5 miles from Tadcaster and 1.5 from Boston Spa, and 3 miles south of Wetherby.
Many of the men mentioned on the war memorial had connections to the nearby vilages of Boston Spa and Bramham.
Clifford yorkshire
BANKS -- WETHERILL
BANKS Fred Gamble
Private 36736 2nd Bn West Yorkshire Regiment KIA 16/08/1917 Aged 35. Born Boston Spa. Son of Joseph Born Clifford 1854 and Ellen Died 1890 Married Clifford 1882. Husband of Maria Jakeman Married 1902 Sister of George William Jakeman Remembered Bramham War Memorial. Enlisted Boston Spa.
Local Memorial Clifford.
Remembered Tyne Cot Memorial Belgium. Local Memorial Clifford.
BARKER Charles Oxterby
Gunner 733 Royal Garrison Artillery West Riding Heavy Battery KIA 01/03/1916 Aged 25. Born Tadcaster. Enlisted York.
Laid to Rest Clifford St Lukes Church. Local Memorial Clifford.
BAXTER William Henry
Private CH/16525 Royal Marine Light Infantry HMS Africa Died from Disease 14/09/1918 Aged 27. Born Stutton Near Tadcaster 13/01/1891. Son of John Landlord of Bay Horse Inn Clifford and Zillah Ward Died 1894 Aged 25 Married Tadcaster 1888. John re married to Constance Ward Married Skipton 1895.
Laid to Rest Freetown (King Tom) Cemetery Sierra Leone. Local Memorial Clifford.
BERRY Alfred
Private 28074 12th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment DOW 18/08/1916 Aged 24. Born Leeds. Enlisted York. Local Memorial Clifford.
BIRCH William
Unknown Can You Help.
Local Memorial Clifford.
BURNS Harold
Private 25459 13th Bn Alexandria Princess of Wales Yorkshire Regiment DOW 30/01/1917 Aged 23. Born Clifford. Son of Patrick Harold Born Belfast 1864 and Emily Holmes Born Clifford 1864 Died 1895 Aged 31 Married Clifford 1887. Patrick remarried 1896 to Anne Jane Hyde Born Clifford 1871. Enlisted Leeds.
Laid to Rest Bois Guillaume Communal Cemetery France. Local Memorial Clifford.
CAYGILL Percy
Private 40304 18th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment KIA 03/05/1917 Aged 21. Born Clifford. Son of Joseph Born Skidby Hall nr Hull 1857 and Jayne Potter Born Boston Spa 1857 Married Clifford 1876. Enlisted Garforth.
Acknowledgment to Bradford Pals Book following information click here to link
On the 03/05/1917 Percy along with the 18th Bn West Yorks 2nd Bn West Yorks the 15th Bn West Yorks Leeds Pals and the 16th Bn West Yorks 1st Bradford Pals, attcked the Germans at Fresnoy north of St Quentin France.
Timeline of events from that evenings attack
03.00 Germans lay heavy barrage for 17 minutes. 03.45 all three battalions leave trenches behind creeping British barrage. 03.49 Germans bombard British troops accompanied by heavy machine gun fire and rifle fire. 06.13 All Officers reported killed. Other ranks depleted (down to 20 in some sections) 07.35 Germans counter attack by 12.00 the German barrage stops.
It is difficult to estimate what time Percy gave his life but many men were mown down easily due to the battlefield being heavily lit by the moon making the German machine gunners task easier.
Picture kindly provided by Christine Thompson (nee Caygill)
Grandaughter of Percy's brother Ernest.
Remembered Arras Memorial France. Local Memorial Clifford.
CRYER Richard Elliott
Acting Corporal 26168 10th Bn East Yorkshire Regiment DOW 14/10/1918 Aged 28. Born Boston Spa. Son of Richard and Mercy Pickering Married Clifford 1869. Husband of Annie Ellen Midgley Born 1891 Married Horsforth 21/08/1909. CWGC 80 Town Street Horsforth. Richards Brother Edwin was the Butcher and landlord at the Crown Inn Clifford in 1891. Enlisted Leeds 27/06/1916 Occupation Dyers Labourer. Gun shot wound 16/03/1918.
Laid to Rest Underhill Farm Cemetery Belgium. Local Memorial Clifford.
EASTWOOD John Thomas. Check Boston Spa Aberford
Laid to Rest Busigny Communal Cemetery Extension France. Local Memorial Clifford
FOWLER Alfred
Gunner 152820 B Battery 312 Brigade Royal Horse Field Artillery KIA 20/11/1917 Aged 19. Born Newton Kyme. Son of George and Lucy Ann Steele Bilbrough Married Tadcaster 1889. Enlisted Tadcaster. Memorial Clifford. Brother of Wilson Steele Fowler Remembered Tadcaster WW1 Memorial.
Laid to Rest Hermies Hill British Cemetery France. Local Memorials Clifford.
ILLINGWORTH Sam
Rifleman 3916 1st/8th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment KIA 02/07/1916 Aged 22. Born Hunslet 20/01/1894 Vol 9b Page 285. Son of Sam born Leeds 1847 and Hannah Born Heathtown Wolverhampton Staffordshire 1858 Married St Mary the Virgin Church Hunslet Leeds 1888. 1911 53 Alton Street Hunslet Apprentice Boiler Maker. Enlisted Leeds.
Evening Post July 12th 1916
"Private Sam Illingworth Leeds Rifles has been reported Killed in Action on July 2nd. Private Illingworth was 22 years of age and the Eldest son of Mr and Mrs Illingworth of Clifford Boston Spa. Private Illingworth was of late 53 Alton Street Hunslet Leeds".
Remembered Thiepval Memorial Somme France. Local Memorial Clifford.
JOHNSON BROTHERS
JOHNSON Edward Joseph
Born Leeds 1885 Son of Thomas Born Tadcaster and Catherine Kilroy Married Clifford 1880. 1911 New Mill Lane Clifford.
Local Memorial Clifford.
No other Details can You Help
JOHNSON Thomas
Born Clifford 1895. 1911 New Mill lane Clifford Occupation Grocer Apprentice.
Memorial Clifford.
No other Details Can You Help
KNAPTON George Herbert
Rifleman 267059 2/7th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment DOW 18/05/1917 Aged 33. Born Halifax 1884. Husband of Jessie Harrison Married Leeds Registered Building 1915 CWGC 150 Railway Terrace Copley Near Halifax. 1901 Working as a servant in Healaugh Near Tadcaster. Georges Brother Wilfred Edmond was living in 1911 High Street Clifford hence reason on Clifford War Memorial.
Laid to Rest St. Sever Cemetery Extension Rouen France. Local Memorial Clifford.
MORAN BROTHERS
MORAN Patrick
Stoker 7804S Royal Naval Reserve H.M.S. Invincible KIA 31/05/1916 Aged 38. Born Leeds 03/06/1879 Vol 9b Page 488. Patrick lied about his age stating Born 1883 on enlistment shows 42 on CWGC actually Born 1879 in Leeds. Son of Thomas Born County Mayo Ireland 1845 and Catherine Mac Kale Born Hazelwood Nr Tadcaster 1851 Married 1874. Husband of Mary Plunkett Married 1903 Died 1913 Patrick remarried 1915 to Ellen Conway at Hartlepool. CWGC 4 Cleveland Street Hartlepool.
Remembered Chatham Naval Memorial. Local Memorial Clifford.
MORAN Thomas
Private 19155 12th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment KIA Bazentin Ridge Somme 14/07/1916 Aged 39. Born Clifford. Enlisted York. Thomas Married in 1911 to Sarah A Tasker they had children Catherine 1911 Thomas 1913 and William F 1914. Sarah remarried to John D Gray in 1919.
Laid to Rest Flatiron Copse Cemetery Mametz Somme France. Local Memorial Clifford.
MUSGROVE Charles Bowling
Private 106482 15th Bn Sherwood Foresters Notts and Derby Regiment DOW 26/04/1918 Aged 19. Born May 1899 Armley Leeds. Son of Thomas and Alice Cordingley Married 1898 Bramley and Holbeck District Registered Building. Enlisted 16/04/1917 Harrogate Residence Albion Street Clifford Occupation Waggoner Aged 17 and 11 months.
Laid to Rest Doullens Communal Cemetery Extension No 1 France. Local Memorial Clifford.
RHODES Thomas
Private 235016 2/7th West Yorkshire Regiment KIA 28/03/1918 Aged 27. Born Wetherby 1891 Vol 9a Page 118. 1901 Patient in Hospital Wetherby Enlisted Tadcaster. Memorial Clifford.
Remembered Arras Memorial France. Local Memorial Clifford.
STEEL Wilson
Stoker 1st Class K/11446 Royal Navy H.M.S.Hogue KIA 22/09/1914 Aged 29. Born Tadcaster 23/12/1894. Son of George Born Tockwith 1868 a gamekeeper on Smaws Farm and Lucy Ann Steele Bilbrough Born Tadcaster 1869 Married Tadcaster 1889. CWGC Son of Lucy A High Street Clifford. Wilson Steele was actually Wilson Steele Fowler. Wilson was the brother of Alfred Fowler remembered on Clifford WW1 Memorial who gave his life on the 20/11/1917.
Remembered Portsmouth Naval Memorial. Local Memorials Tadcaster & Clifford.
TAYLOR Donald
Local Memorial Clifford.
Unknown Can You Help.
WETHERILL Joseph
Private 15480 9th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment KIA 09/08/1915 Aged Born Clifford 1885. Son of John and Mary Harrison Married 1879.
Remembered Helles Memorial Gallipoli Turkey. Local Memorial Clifford.
WETHERILL John Joseph
Private 15232 9th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment KIA 09/08/1915 Aged 18. Born Tadcaster. Son of Joseph and Lily Hatfield Married Pocklington 1896. Enlisted Tadcaster Landed Gallipoli 11/07/1915.
Remembered Helles Memorial Gallipoli Turkey. Local Memorial Clifford.