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Colonel
ESMOND HUMPHREY MILLER CLIFFORD, CBE, MC
Royal Engineers 

by 

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Edward De Santis, MSCE, P.E., MinstRE
(January 2024)

Figure 1. Lieutenant Esmond Humphrey Miller Clifford, MC, R.E., c. 1919.
(Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum) 

1. INTRODUCTION

This research covers the military service of an officer of the Royal Engineers who served throughout the Great War of 1914-1918 in one of the most heavily engaged divisions of the war.  Cyril Falls said that the 7^th Division was “One of the greatest fighting formations Britain ever put into the field.“  C.T. Atkinson, the author of the division’s history in the war claims that “Few Divisions can have equaled the strong Divisional spirit which inspired the Seventh Division, making it work as a team, working together towards the same end.”  Clifford spent most of the war on the staff of the Commander Royal Engineers of the division, except for about the last six months of the war when he commanded an R.E. field company within the division.  His service during the Second World War was not as fortunate, as he was captured by the Japanese in Hong Kong and imprisoned for the entire war. 

2.  FAMILY INFORMATION AND EARLY LIFE

Family Information

            Esmond Humphrey Miller Clifford was born in Victoria, Australia on 6 March 1895. He was the son of Miller Hancorne Clifford (1859-1943) and his wife Louisa Mann Clifford, née Peterson (1862-1912).  Miller Hancorne Clifford had been born in Cawnpore, Bengal, India on 16 September 1859, just two years after the massacre in that city during the Indian Mutiny.  His father had served for 10 years as a Medical Officer for the East India Company.  The Clifford family moved to England by 1866, but Miller Clifford returned to India by 1871 and he met and married his wife Louisa on 22 November 1883 at Malabar Hill in Bombay.[1] 

            Miller and Louisa had two sons before the birth of Esmond.  Francis Awdry Clifford (1884-1953) was born on 14 October 1884.  Like Esmond, he served in the Royal Engineers during the  Great War from 1915-1916 and later with a London Anti-Aircraft Defense unit from 1917-1919.  He also served in the Home Guard from 1939-1942.  The Clifford’s second son, Maurice William Clifford (1886-1961) had no active service during either war.  He was a member of the Special Constabulary in 1939 and served as a Major in the Home Guard.[2] 

Before Esmond was 16 years of age, his parents had moved to England and taken up residence in Bristol.  Unfortunately, his mother would die about a year after their arrival in England.

Early Life

            Esmond Clifford entered Clifton College in September 1906, Student Number 6564. Both of his brothers also attended Clifton, Francis (Student Number 5809) and Maurice (Student Number 5810).  Esmond left Clifton College in 1912 and entered the Royal Military College, Woolwich.  He was a 2^nd Place Prize Cadet and upon graduating from the R.M.A. in 1914, he became an officer the Corps of Royal Engineers.[3]  

3.  COMMISSIONING AND TRAINING 

Commissioning 

            Esmond Clifford was gazetted a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 13 August 1914.[4]  Immediately upon his commissioning he was posted to the School of Military Engineering at Chatham, Kent for further training as an engineer officer. 

Training 

His military training at Chatham included courses in field fortifications, construction, surveying, telegraphy, electric lighting, submarine mining, photography, chemistry, military law and tactics.  The Field Fortifications course lasted for 4 months and 23 days.  This  course consisted of field and siege engineering, field defence, attack of fortresses, mining construction, demolition of railways and water supply.  The Construction course was 6 months and covered building materials, engineering construction, hydraulics, construction of barracks, drainage, manufacture of iron and steel, mining, quarrying and machinery.  Next came the Surveying course consisting of  five months of technical training in geodesy, astronomy, meteorology, trigonometrical chain and road surveys and use of surveying instruments.  One to two months of military topography followed, which included military surveying and sketching and elementary reconnaissance.  In the School of Telegraphy, Electric Lighting and Submarine Mining he studied the theory of electricity, use of telegraph instruments, bracing and connecting instruments, making of batteries, firing mines and testing tubes.  All of this was accomplished in two months with an additional one month devoted to electric lighting, signalling by flag, lamps and heliograph.  The School of Chemistry was a short course of varying length that generally covered practical chemistry, especially relating to limes, concrete and other building materials.  Finally, the School of Military Law and Tactics, also a course of varying length, consisted of special lectures in law and tactics as dictated by current military situations.  This training at the School of Military Engineering lasted for just under 24 months.[5]           

4.  POSTINGS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

France and Flanders (1915-1917)

            Upon the successful completion of his training at Chatham, Clifford may have remained in the U.K. for several months before being posted to the Western Front.  He arrived in France on 2 April 1915 with orders to join the 7^th Division, which arrived at Le Havre in August.  Upon the division’s arrival, Clifford was posted to the staff of the division’s Commander Royal Engineers (C.R.E.), Lieutenant Colonel A.T. Moore, R.E.[6]  Moore had Captain Geoffrey Ambrose Phillipps Brown, R.E.[7] as his Adjutant.  Moore was responsible for supervising the work of the following four companies:[8] 

54^th Field Company (Captain J.A. McEnery, R.E., commanding)

55^th Field Company (Captain Launcelot St. Vincent Rose, R.E.,[9] commanding)

2^nd Highland Field Company[10] (Major R. Mitchell, R.E., commanding)

7^th Divisional Signal Company (Major F.S. Garwood, R.E., [11]commanding) 

            In addition to the R.E. units, the C.R.E. also coordinated the work of the division’s Pioneer Battalion.  Pioneer Battalions were essentially infantry with light military combat engineer skills and equipment,  located at the very forward edge of the battle area.  They were used to develop and enhance protection and mobility for supported troops and to deny it to the enemy.  They constructed defensive positions, command posts and dugouts, prepared barbed wire defences and on occasion breached those of the enemy using devices like the Bangalore Torpedo.  Their skills and capability were broad, from building, construction and maintenance to road and track preparation and maintenance. They could also, and did quite often, fight as infantry.

            Pioneer Battalions were used on a large scale on the Western Front. Because of its largely static nature, there was a much heavier reliance on field defences and the provision of mobility support to get troops, weapons, ammunition, rations and stores up to the front and casualties out.  Roads and railways needed to be built maintained and repaired.  While these were also engineer tasks, engineers alone could not meet the heavy demand, while riflemen were always needed at the front. Therefore, Pioneer Battalions were raised to meet the needs of both and trained to support both engineers and infantry.

            The 7^th Division’s Pioneer Battalion was the 24^th (Service) Battalion of the Manchester Regiment.  It would join the division as the Pioneer Battalion from the 22^nd Infantry Brigade on 22 May 1916. 

            The addition of Second Lieutenant Clifford to the division’s C.R.E. staff certainly must have been most welcomed by Lieutenant Colonel Moore and Captain Brown.  However, before Clifford could take on some of the workload, he had to return to England on 9 May 1915.  Two references consulted for this research have varying accounts of his return.  One source indicates that he was sick and the other indicates that he was wounded.  It is not clear why he had to return. 

            On 9 June 1915, while he was in England, Clifford was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.  On 22 August 1915 he returned to France to resume his duties on the C.R.E.’s staff.[12]     

The C.R.E. and his staff coordinated the operations of the Field Companies within  the division and to some extent the operations of the Divisional Signal Company.  At times the C.R.E. may have commanded and controlled the work of the Field Companies, but generally his control ended when a Field Company was attached to a brigade for operations.  In addition, he acted as the engineer adviser to the divisional commander.  The overall responsibilities of the C.R.E. included, but were not limited to, the following tasks:  

·         Periodic inspections of each company as situations permitted, to include the health and morale of the officers and men in the company, the condition of the personal equipment and arms of the men and the condition of the tools, vehicles and horses of the company.

·         Technical assistance to officers and non-commissioned officers in the companies by members of the staff when required or requested. 

·         Visits in the field to observe the progress and quality of projects undertaken by each company as battle situations permitted.

·         Advising the division commander as to the strength and capabilities of the companies for offensive or defensive operations.

·          Advising brigade commanders as to the strength and capabilities of the companies that might be assigned to support their offensive or defensive operations.

·         Review of reports of the brigade commanders and their staffs with regard to the performance of companies assigned to support them.

·         Provision of supplies and equipment to the companies as requested by the company O.C’s.

·         Provision of field engineer support to all units of the division as directed by the division commander.

The C.R.E. would use his Adjutant and any other staff officer assigned to him in order to accomplish this work.  Lieutenant Clifford surely was occupied on many of these tasks.

On 29 August 1915, the 55^th Field Company was transferred to the Guards Division and was replaced by the 95^th Field Company.[13]  The 7^th Division was soon to be tested in a number of costly battles listed here:[14] 

·         Battle of Loos, 25 September to 5 October 1915.  Losses in the 7^th Divisional Engineers (Field and Signal Companies) during the Battle of Loos amounted to 1 officer and 5 men killed, 1 officer and 30 men wounded and 6 men missing.[15] 

On 29 January 1916 the division’s 2^nd Highland Field Company was transferred to the 51^st (Highland) Division and it was replaced by the 95^th Field Company, a company that Clifford would get to know very well in 1918. 

On 22 May 1916 the 24^th (Service) Battalion of the Manchester Regiment joined the division as its Pioneer Battalion.  The Officer Commanding this battalion, Lieutenant Colonel J.H. Chadwick, had been killed in action on 3 May 1916.  He was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel F.S. Pountney.[16] 

·         Battle of Albert (The Somme), 1 to 13 July 1916. During the battle the 7^th Division formed part of British XV Corps.  The 7^th Division lost 3,824 casualties during this battle.  

·         Battle of Bazentin, 14 to 17 July 1916.  The 7^th Division R.E. losses at Bazentin amounted to approximately 195 officers and men, killed, wounded and missing.[17] 

·         Battle of Delville Wood, 15 July to 3 September 1916.

·         Battle of Pozieres, 23 July to 3 September 1916. 

·         Battle of Guillemont, 3 to 6 September 1916.

·         Battle of Ginchy, 9 September 1916. 

            On 24 November 1916 Lieutenant Clifford was appointed an Acting Captain[18] and on the following day he was appointed to be the Adjutant, 7^th Divisional Royal Engineers in place of Captain Brown.  The Commander Royal Engineers at this time was Major G.H. Boileau.[19] 

            In early January 1917 changes were being made within the Territorial Force (T.F.).  The 7^th Divisional Royal Engineers were affected by these changes when on 1 January 1917 the 3^rd Durham Field Company was numbered the 528^th (Durham) Field Company, thereby giving it a numerical designation within the Royal Engineers force structure in place of its County designation in the T.F.[20] 

            In the spring of 1917 the 7^th Division was back in the line to take part in a number of battles as listed below.[21]  Clifford was again serving on the R.E. Headquarters staff during these battles. 

·         Battle of Bullecourt, 3 to 17 May 1917.  At Bullecourt the casualties of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers had fortunately been low, under 80 altogether.  Total division casualties amounted to 128 officers and 2,554 men, 40 officers and 879 men killed or missing.[22] 

Acting Captain Clifford was Mentioned in Despatches on 18 May 1917.[23]   

NOTE: The index card for this MID was located, but the London Gazette issue could not be found. 

·         Battle of Polygon Wood, 26 September to 3 October 1917.

·         Battle of Broodseinde (Noordemdhoek and Reutel), 4 October 1917.  Between 4 October and 18 October the division’s engineers and Pioneer Battalion suffered 131 casualties, killed, wounded and missing.[24]

·         Battle of Poelcappelle, 9 October 1917.

·         First Battle of Passchendaele, 12 October 1917.

·         Second Battle of Passchendaele, 26 October to 10 November 1917. 

Italy (1917-1919) 

            The Second Battle of Passchendaele was the last battle that the 7^th Division fought in before being moved to Italy in November 1917.  On 3 November 1917 Clifford was promoted to the substantive rank of Captain[25] and on 17 November the division got a new C.R.E., Lieutenant Colonel Arthur William Reid, R.E.[26]  Reid did not remain as the C.R.E. for very long as he was replaced on 5 February 1918 by Major Ernald Barnardiston, R.E.[27] 

            On 12 March 1918, while the Division Engineers were concentrated at Vancimuglio, a soccer match was played between an R.E. team and a team from the 24^th Manchester Battalion (Pioneers).  The R.E. team was captained by Captain Clifford, who at the time was the Adjutant to the C.R.E., Lieutenant Colonel Kerrick.  The division’s free time behind the lines ended shortly after this as it became involved in the Battle of the Asiago Plateau on 31 March, a battle that lasted until 19 May 1918.[28]  On 4 May, while engaged in the action on the Asiago Plateau, Clifford relinquished his positions as Adjutant for the C.R.E. and on 20 May he was appointed an Acting Major and posted as Officer Commanding the 95^th Field Company, replacing Major Eric Crewdson, R.E. who went to take up a command in the Royal Air Force.[29]  

            Within four days after taking command of his company, Acting Major Clifford lost his first man.  404214 Lance Corporal Alexander Wood was killed in action on 24 May 1918.[30] 

            On 1 June 1918 the 95^th Field Company was at Camisino.  It then moved to Thiene on 2 June and remained there until 14 June preparing for river crossing operations over the River Piave.  By 24 June the company returned to Camisino.[31] 

            From 25 June to the end of September 1918 the 95^th Field Company made multiple moves, finally arriving at Frissino where it paused, rested and held some games and competitions.  Major Clifford apparently was a very athletic officer as proven when he won the relay race competition at Frissino.  He also proved himself quite a marksman when he took second place in the 200-yard rifle competition involving 5 rounds applied aiming and 5 rounds rapid fire.[32] Research for this work also indicated that he was a member of the Army Rifle Association in later years, so he must have done a lot of competition shooting with the service rifle.[33]

            On 1 October 1918 the company again began moving towards Vittorio Veneto where it arrived on 24 October.  On 22 October the company arrived at Saltore where it again became involved in river crossing operations.  Major Clifford was recommended at this time for the award of the Military Cross for his leadership of the company during bridging operations over the River Piave.[34] 

            By 23 October the company was at Cosenza and on the following day it was heavily involved in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto.  During the battle Clifford lost two more men from his company: 52673 Driver John Harnett, killed on 31 October and 62112 Sapper A.G. Allen, killed on 3 November.[35]  Clifford himself was sent to hospital on 1 November with a fever.[36] 

            Major Clifford returned to his company from hospital on Armistice Day and joined in with his men to celebrate the end of the war.  Plans for demobilization were already in the works, but the loss of men from the company had not yet ended.  On  Christmas Day 1918 the company lost a man to disease, probably to the Spanish flu.  The casualty was 95856 Corporal Ellis Arthur Griffin.[37]  One can only imagine the sadness in the company, losing a man more than a month after the end of hostilities and on Christmas Day. 

            January 1919 brought some well-earned recognition to men of the 95^th Field Company.  Clifford’s Military Cross appeared in the London Gazette on 6 January as did a Mention in Despatches for Lieutenant E.D. Carr-Harris, R.E. and the award of the Meritorious Service Medal to Company Sergeant Major W. Kernohan.[38]   

Figure 2.  Acting Major Esmond Humphrey Miller Clifford, MC, R.E.
(Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum)

            As demobilization of the company was progressing, on 25 February 1919 Clifford was required to relinquish his rank of Acting Major and revert to his substantive rank of Captain.[39]  The 95^th Field Company was demobilized during March and on 2 April Clifford’s award of the Military Cross appeared in the London Gazette.  He was shown as an Acting Major serving in Italy. 

            Deaths from the dreaded Spanish flu still haunted the company.  On 3 November 1919, 416162 Sapper John Beggs had died of the disease and it took 90142 Driver Arthur Cooke on 5 July 1920.[40] 

            Captain Esmond Humphrey Miller Clifford, MC, R.E. returned home from the Great War and decided to remain in the Army.  On 23 October 1920 he was posted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.[41] 

5. INTER-WAR YEARS

 Home Service (1920-1925)

            As odd as his posting to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries may sound, his work had nothing to do with agriculture or fisheries.  He worked for the Ordnance Survey, surveying and mapping farms, fields, forests, roads, rivers and streams and other topographic features around the United Kingdom.  He continued with this work until 17 July 1925.[42]

Colonial Office Service (1925-1936)

            From 18 July 1925 to 23 June 1928 he was employed by the Colonial Office as the Second British Commissioner of the Anglo-Italian Jubaland Boundary Commission.[43]  While serving in this capacity, on 1 June 1928, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services with the Jubaland Boundary[44] 

            Following his work with the Boundary Commission, Captain Clifford was posted to the War Office as a General Staff Officer, Class 2 (G.S.O. 2) on 20 October 1928.  He was promoted to the substantive rank of Major on 1 July 1929 and left the War Office on 31 October 1931 and on 1 November he was employed by the Colonial Office.[45]   

            Upon his appointment to the Colonial Office, Major Clifford  was also appointed a Temporary Lieutenant Colonel and the Senior British Commissioner for the Anglo-Ethiopian Boundary Commission that was surveying the boundary between British Somaliland and Ethiopia.[46]  On 23 November 1934 his duties took him to Walwal in the Ogaden province where he and the other members of the Commission were confronted by a newly-arrived Italian military force.  Rather than becoming involved in a military action, the British contingent withdrew.   

            On 1 January 1936, Major (Temporary Lieutenant Colonel) Clifford, OBE, MC, R.E., was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his work in British Somaliland.  In April 1936, Clifford made a presentation before the Royal Geographical Society, where he gave an admirable account of the Boundary Commission’s work with an excellent map and good illustrations to maintain the high standard of the publication.  Clifford became a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

China Command (1936-1941) 

            Clifford left Colonial Office employment on 28 August 1936 and on 1 October 1937 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was posted to the China Command.  On 11 June 1940 he was appointed Acting Colonel and the Chief Engineer of that Command.  As things in the Far East were changing rapidly due to Japanese aggression, so also were things changing rapidly within China Command.  Clifford relinquished his rank of Acting Colonel on 10 December 1940 and on the following day he was appointed a Temporary Colonel.  He relinquished this rank on 30 May 1941 and on the following day was promoted to the substantive rank of Colonel.[47]  

            Clifford’s fortune ran out on Christmas Day of 1941 when the Japanese overran his headquarters in Hong Kong and he was taken prisoner. 

Figure 3.  Japanese Prisoner of War Report.
(Imaged courtesy of Ancestry.com) 

            During his captivity, Clifford was moved three times, from Hong Kong to Formosa to Japan and finally to Manchuria.  His captivity was ended on 2 September 1945 when he was released from Camp 1771 (MU) at Mukden, Manchuria.[48] 

            In 1948 Colonel Clifford retired from active service in the Army, but the Colonial Office got hold of him again and from 1950 to 1957 he served as the British Commissioner on the Kenya-Ethiopia Boundary Commission.  Following this posting it appears that he retired from government service and settled in Chichester, West Sussex. 

            Colonel Esmond Humphrey Miller Clifford, CBE, MC, FRGS, R.E. died in Chichester on 3 September 1970 at the age of 75.  Probate of his Will took place in London on 16 November 1970.  The 1970 Probate Calendar does not indicate the recipient of his estate, but his effects were valued at £73,999 (about $1,867,300 US in 2024 currency).  His son had died in 1947, but his wife survived him until 1981, so it is logical to assume that she was the recipient of his estate.  

6. MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

            For his service during the Great War of 1914-1918, Colonel Esmond Humphrey Miller Clifford was awarded the Military Cross, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal with Oak Leaf emblem for being twice Mentioned in Despatches.

 
Figure 4. The Military Cross, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
(Image from the author’s collection) 

Figure 5.  Colonel Clifford’s Great War Medal Index Card (front side).
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

            The reverse side of the Medal Index Card shows that Clifford was at the Ordnance Survey Headquarters in Southampton when the medals were issued. 

            For his work with the two Boundary Commissions he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and then a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Military Division. 

    
Figure 6.  L to R: OBE and CBE
(Images from the author’s collection) 

            For his service during the Second World War, Colonel Clifford would have been awarded the 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal and War Medal. 

 
Figure 7.  L to R: The 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal and War Medal.
(Images from the author’s collection) 

NOTE: None of the medals shown above are those of Colonel Clifford.  They are presented here for illustrative purposes only.

ANNEX  A
Additional Family Information 

            Family trees found on Ancestry.com indicate that Clifford married one Louise Marie Gilberte Phillips (1894-1981).  The date of their marriage is not specified in the family trees.  Based on the date of birth of their son, it is likely that they were married soon after the end of the Great War. 

Figure 8.  Louise Marie Gilberte Clifford, née Phillips.
(Image courtesy of David Southern) 

            Esmond and Louise has a son, Maurice Miller Clifford (1923-1947).  Maurice died on 24 February 1947 at the age of 24.  He was a Flying Officer (Service Number 184619) in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.  He is commemorated at the East Finchley Cemetery and St. Marylebone Crematorium, Cremation Panel 1.[49] 

            George Edward Phillips (1865-1902), Louise’s father, was an officer in the Royal Engineers.  He was a Gentleman Cadet at the Royal Military Academy, commissioned a Lieutenant on 5 July 1884.[50]  He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 19 December 1892.[51] 

            Phillips was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for participation in the Expedition against the Mullah in Somaliland.[52]  He was a Special Service Officer on the staff of the Somaliland Field Force under Sir Francis Scott.  He also received the Ashanti Star for service in Somaliland from 25 December 1895 to 17 January 1896.[53]   

            Major (Local Lieutenant Colonel) Phillips also received the Africa General Service Medal with clasps [SOMALILAND 1902-04] and [JIBALLI] for participation in a number of Somaliland campaigns against rebels led by Mohammed Abdullah Hassan.  The [JIBALLI] clasp was awarded to those involved in the defeat of Hassan on 10 January 1904.  That clasp was always given with the [SOMALILAND 1902-04] clasp.   

            Major Phillips later served in the South African War with the Ladysmith Relief Force.  He Served on the Staff for Engineer Services[54] and was awarded the Queen’s South Africa Medal with clasps [BELFAST[ [CAPE COLONY] [ORANGE FREE STATE] [TUGELA HEIGHTS] [RELIEF OF LADYSMITH] and [LAING’S NEK].[55]  He was wounded while serving in South Africa and returned home on convalescent leave in 1900.   

            Major George Edward Phillips died on 6 October 1902.  According to the 1903 Probate Calendar, he died at Erego Bohotele in North Somaliland.  What he was doing in Somaliland at this time could not be determined. 

            His home address at the time was “Woodthorpe,” Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.  Probate of his Will took place at London on 4 March 1903 leaving his estate of £7,170, 18 shillings and 9 pence (about $1,182,900 US in 2024 currency) to his widow, Louise Victorine Camille Phillips. 

 REFERENCES:

Army Lists 

1. Hart’s Annual Army List, 1901, p. 218g.

2. Half-Yearly Army List, January 1946, p. 115. 

Books 

1. ATKINSON, C.T.  The Seventh Division, 1914-1918.  The Naval and Military Press, Antony Rowe Ltd., Chippenham, Wiltshire, 1999, pp. 502 and 507.

2. COUNCIL OF CLIFTON COLLEGE.  Clifton College Register, 1862-1962. J.W. Arrowsmith, Ltd., Bristol, 1962.

3. DANIELS, S, WITH THE NTF: A History of the 95^th Field Company of the Corps of Royal Engineers.  Adlard & Son & West Newman, Ltd, London, 1919.

4. FARWELL, B.  Mr. Kipling’s Army: All the Queen’s Men.  W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 1981.

5. GRIERSON, J.M.  Scarlet Into Khaki: The British Army on the Eve of the Boer War.  Greenhill Books, London, 1988.  

Civil Documents 

1. 1903 Probate Calendar, p. 163.

2. 1970 Probate Calendar, p. 252.  

Family Tree 

1. Esmond Humphrey Miller Clifford (by David Southern).

2. Miller Hancorne Clifford (by David Southern).

3. George Edward Phillips (by David Southern).  

Internet Web Sites 

1. Wikipedia: Esmond Clifford.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esmond_Clifford

2. Wikipedia: Battle of Loos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Loos

3. Wikipedia: Battle of Albert (1916).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Albert_(1916)

4. Wikipedia: Battle of Bazentin Ridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bazentin_Ridge

1. Wikipedia: Battle of Delville Wood.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Delville_Wood 

6. Wikipedia: Battle of Pozieres.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pozi%C3%A8res

7. The Long, Long Trail: 7^th Division.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/7th-division/

8. British Military History.

https://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/docs-units-formations-engineer-battalions-companies/ 

London and Edinburgh Gazettes 

1. The London Gazette, 15 July 1884, p. 3226.

2. The London Gazette, 11 August 1914, p. 6304.

3. Supplement to the London Gazette, 9 May 1917, p. 4447.

4. Supplement to the London Gazette, 18 May 1917, p. 4877.

5. Supplement to the London Gazette, 2 April 1919. pp. 4324 and 4325.

6. Supplement to the London Gazette, 1 June 1928. p. 3852.

7. The Edinburgh Gazette, 8 June 1928, p. 660.

8. Supplement to the London Gazette, 31 December 1935. p. 8.

9. The Edinburgh Gazette, 7 January 1936, p. 20.  

Medal Roll 

1. Africa General Service, WO 100/100.

2. Ashanti Star Medal Roll, WO 100/79.

3. Queen’s South Africa Medal Roll, WO 100/155.  

Military Documents 

1. List of Prisoners of War.

2. Medal Index Card.

3. Japanese Prisoner of War Report.

4. POW Report No. 20265 A.  

Periodicals 

1. Army Rifle Association Rules and Programme, 1938.

2. Royal Engineers Journals.  Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1925-1932.

3. CLIFFORD, E.H.M. Anglo-Ethiopian (Somaliland) Boundary Commission, 1932-5.   Royal Geographical Journal, Volume lxxxvii, 4, 289–307, April 1936.

ENDNOTES: