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Record #15830
Name :
: Herbert CLIFFORD (1900 - 1960)
  aka : Herbert Leslie Clifford


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 5 Oct 1900

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 25 Feb 1960
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Middlesex, London
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialEngland, Cheshire, Neston
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 31 Jul 1904
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Southwark

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Barnardos
NotesHerbert was born October 5 1890 in London, England. Herbert was the son of Sophia Harriet Clifford. It appears Sophia was a single mother at the time of Herbert's birth. In 1891 Herbert and Sophia are living with her parents William and Mary Clifford. In 1893 Sophia married William Dobson and in 1901 Herbert is found living alone with his Grandparents. Sophia and William would have nine children together. It appears that this family fell upon hard times as their son James was born in the Hackney Union Workhouse. Sophia's parents were left to cope with Herbert.

On Palm Sunday in 1904 Herbert?s life took a turn for the worse when his grandmother Emma passed away. With the one stabilizing force in his life gone he spent several months living with his aunt Priscilla and his mother.

Late one night in early June, 1904, he was picked up by the police for ?Wandering?. He was described in the police report as an ?Illegitimate Waif? and he soon found himself in the care of Dr. Barnardo. By late July he was heading overseas to start a new life in Canada.

Herbert arrived aboard the Southwark on July 31 1904. He traveled with a group of 479 children, he was headed to Toronto, Ontario.

Herbert?s teenage years were spent on various farms in southern Ontario. He had difficulty settling and ran away on several occasions but he did seem genuinely appreciative of the opportunity he was given. Nevertheless his restless nature was always surfacing and when, at age 16, he expressed a desire to join the navy he was instructed in no uncertain terms to stick to farming.

On December 10 1910 Herbert married Annie Ellen Lewis in Ashton, Carleton, Ontario, Canada. The would begin their married life in Sarnia, Ontario. Herbert and Annie would have five children.

Ten years after his arrival in Canada, Herbert would sail back to England as part of the First Canadian Contingent. On September 21 1914 in Valcartier, Ontario, Canada Herbert enlisted in the with the 14th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Royal Montreal Regiment. He headed overseas on September 29th. It would be nearly five years before he set foot in Canada again. During the Second Battle of Ypres, April 22 1915, just after the first chlorine gas attack, Herbert was shot and captured while on patrol. Herbert?s war was over but he was to spend the next three and half years as a prisoner of war. These prisons were notoriously harsh places but they likely saved his life. He was released on December 28, 1918 and spent the next nine months at military camps throughout England and northern Wales.

He returned to his family near Richmond, Ontario after being de-mobbed at Montreal in September 1919. On January 19, 1920 Barnardo?s reported that he had purchased a place 8 miles southwest of the village and was settling in well. Within days of this report Herbert had left his family and disappeared.

A passenger list showing a ?Herbert Clifford? disembarking in Liverpool on January 29th, 1920, was found. Then a British Army Medal Rolls index card that included Herbert?s Canadian Regimental Number alongside a British one was also discovered, showing that Herbert had joined up again.

His British Service Record showed he joined the Cheshire Regiment within two weeks of his return to the UK. Tellingly he listed his marital status as ?Single?. Herbert spent his entire four years in Cheshire and when discharged he received a very complimentary review on his Character Certificate. His discharge papers, dated January 28, 1924, indicated he was leaving the service to become a Butler and that his address was on Neston Road, Willaston, near Birkenhead.

Herbert changed his name to Herbert Leslie Clifford and married in 1922 Christina Alice Jones, widow of Thomas Jones, and the mother of 3 children. The couple was living at Bethel?s Cottage in 1923, a year before Herbert left the army.

Herbert Clifford joining the Post Office at Heswall Hill in July 1928. He had moved to Windsor in 1938 and retired in 1945.

Christina Alice Clifford (nee Jones) died April 21, 1958 and Herbert ?Leslie? Clifford on February 25, 1960.

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ContributorsCreated : 2011-12-31 17:09:51 / From original database

Last Updated : 2012-06-15 21:59:14 /

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Surnames starting with:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  4 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
22625 CLIFFORD, F1896ENG,     Oct 1905 : Canada CAN Barnardos  
26021 CLIFFORD, H1893ENG,     Mar 1903 : Canada CAN Barnardos  
10360 CLIFFORD, Henry1887ENG,     Jun 1896 : Corean CAN Middlemore  
15830 CLIFFORD, Herbert1900ENG, MDX, London Jul 1904 : Southwark CAN Barnardos