Clarendon would commit 37 of its men from the tight-knit southern community to Australia’s WW1 effort

THE small tight-knit community of Clarendon lost six of its sons in World War I. Among the dead were two sets of brothers. They were among 37 men who enlisted from the area.

the cottage in the attached picture was decorated by his family to welcome home RA Nicolle from WW1. Michael Golder is a relative of the Testers and might be helpful, his contact no. is 8383 7552 (I have not spoken to Michael) also Gwen Haysman daughter of W Potter WW1 and her contact is 8296 4263.

THE small tight-knit community of Clarendon lost six of its sons in World War I. Among the dead were two sets of brothers. They were among 37 men who enlisted from the area.

The widow of one of the men killed never remarried and lived out her life in a small cottage at Kangarilla, on a road named after his family, her great nephew says.

George Russell Tester married his sweetheart Marcella Lavina Golder on August 21, 1915, two days before leaving for training, her great nephew Michael Golder says.

“It wasn’t much of a honeymoon,” Mr Golder 66, from Kangarilla says.

“He departed on January 11, 1916 and was seen off by his family.”

Tester landed in Egypt with the 50th Battalion on February 9, 1916 and was transferred to the 4th Pioneer Battalion a month later. He landed in Marseilles, France on June 11, 1916.

“On June 1, 1917, during the preparations for the Battle of Messines in Belgium he was wounded with a high explosive enemy shell while working on road construction.

“His unit war diary says he was one of four casualties from that shelling, his right leg was badly smashed.”

Mr Golder says Tester was evacuated to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station, but died there of his wounds the next day.

“His wife never remarried and she lived on Tester Rd, Kangarilla on a couple of acres in a small house for the rest of her life, until she died in about 1957 ... I understand she was very active in the War Widows Guild, but I can barely remember meeting her.”

Tester’s brother Oliver Ralph 22, died of wounds in France on August 13 1918.

“I think it is extraordinary, two lots of brothers killed, it would have been a big dent in the community.”

The other Clarendon men who died were Percival Charles Merritt 30, died in Malta from typhoid. His brother Sydney Lawrence 25, was killed in action in France on April 26, 1918.

The other locals killed were Lemuel Luke Spencer 38, who died from wounds in France on April 24, 1918 and Thomas Chapman 34, killed in action in France on August 16, 1918.

Mr Golder says most or some of the men probably knew each other in such a small community.

“That is what drove a lot of these communities to erect war memorials, they were a place that everybody could see the names of the people we should never forget.”

Originally published as Clarendon would commit 37 of its men from the tight-knit southern community to Australia’s WW1 effort