Clement Claude Carman

War: World War One

Rank: Lance Corporal

Service Number: 521

Units Served: 27th Battalion (Infantry), Company C

Personal Details:Clement was the second of nine children born to David and Elizabeth Carman at Keilli, north west of Port Broughton he was born on the 13/4/1895. The family moved from Keilli when Clement was very young and the family brought a farm just south of Port Broughton. Clement then attended school at Wards Hill. He also followed in his eldest brother Roland and father’s footsteps by working on the family farm “Budoryn House”. AIF information list Clem as being married at the time of enlistment but I cannot find any further information to support this. Clement was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 135 pounds. He has a dark complexion with brown eyes and dark hair. He scored well in vision test with perfect eyesight. Clement was a Methodist

Enlistment Details:Clement was the first member of his family to join the armed forces, he enlisted on the 20th of February 1915 at the age of 19 years and 10 months. He completed basic training and on 31st May 1915 his unit embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A2 Geelong.

Details about his role in the war: On the 31st of May 1915 Clement disembarked with his unit from Adelaide on board the HMAT A2 Geelong. On the 4th of September 1915 Clement joined the M.I.F at Alexandria, the 27th Battalion landed at Gallipoli on the 12 of September. They were eradicated in December and returned to Europe. On the 16th of March 1916 he proceeded to join the B.E.F. On the 17th of August 1916 Clement was appointed to Lance Corporal. Shortly after he was reported missing in action on the 5th of November 1916 this was later amended on the 30th of July 1917 and Clemet was officially recorded as Killed in Action on the 5th of November 1916 at Flers, France. Although after a family enquiry with the suspicion that Clement was a prisoner of war, held captive by the Germans, Captain Mills looked back over the records after the war ended and amended this theory by stating that there was no trace of the soldier being held prisoner as of the 19th of October 1919 and Clement was still recorded as killed in action.

Age at Death: Clem was 21 years of age when he was killed in action on the 5th November 1916 at Flers, France.

Cemetery or Memorial Details: Australian National Memorial – Villers-Bretonneux, France

Interesting Material: Clem was the first the of three Carman brothers to enlist in the war, and the first to be killed in action. His 20 months of service saw him fight in Gallipoli, Egypt and the Western Front. Clement received a Victory Medal, British War Medal and a 1914-15 Star for his service in the war.