Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.

Detail :

CLIFT, Cecil Bayly, Lieutenant, 1/Newfoundland Regiment Cecil CLIFT was one of the fortunate few who survived the destruction of the 1/Newfoundland battalion on the 1st July 1916 as he had been evacuated to hospital on 20th April and returned with the replacement drafts on 14th July. It must have been a quite different battalion that he found on his return. Probably some of the few who he knew were bother masons 2/Lieutenant Samuel EBSARY, and 2/Lieutenant James THOMSON. The losses sustained by the battalion on 1st July, and indeed by the whole of 29th Division, demanded a long period of recovery and retraining. Replacement drafts arrived and over a period of three months the battalion was brought back to normal strength. However by October the battalion was back on the Somme and was engaged in its second battle on the Somme, at Gueudecourt. The conditions that met the Newfoundlanders were those of a battle of attrition. The ground was churned by shells as the advance slowed and the same areas were attacked and counter attacked. Heavy rain at times rendered the trenches and ground impassable and created miserable conditions for the men on both sides. The 8th Brigade, of which the Newfoundland Regiment was part, was ‘loaned’ to the 12th Division to assist in the Gueudecourt position. Heavy German shelling on 11th October 1916 caused heavy casualties as the battalion moved up for the attack which went in the following day. The battalion advanced in two waves, each on a front of two platoons, covered by a creeping barrage of machine guns which successfully kept place with the advancing troops. The battalion entered Rainbow Trench but had to fight every foot against a very determined enemy before taking Hilt Trench. Eventually the Newfoundlanders took not only their objective but also part of that of the 1/Essex to their left and moved forward to take Grease Trench. (To their left the 7/Norfolks were less successful – see ABBOTT, John Joseph, Sergeant, 7/Norfolks) Cecil CLIFT was killed in the attack on the 12th October. The First Five Hundred tells us that Lieutenant Clift attempted to advance beyond Rainbow trench, but his party was practically wiped out. He was initiated into WHITEWAY Lodge No 3541 on 23rd May 1914, was Passed on 26th June and Raised on 7th July 1914. His was a Law Student.. During the attack on the 12th October he advanced with Brother 2/Lieutenant Samuel EBSARY of AVALON Lodge No 776 who was wounded and died of wounds in hospital on the 15th October 1916.. It is very likely that Cecil CLIFT was serving with 2/Lieutenant James Elliot THOMSON who had served with him in Gallipoli and who was also a member of WHITEWAY lodge having been initiated, passed and raised on the same days as CLIFT. Cecil CLIFT enlisted on 7th September 1914 and was promoted to Lance Corporal on April 26th 1915. In Gallipoli he was promoted to 2/Lieutenant on June 29th 1915. He arrived in France with the battalion on 20th March 1916. As already mentioned he was in hospital on 1st July 1916 when the battalion was destroyed at Beaumont Hamel. On January 22, 1912 Whiteway Lodge No. 3541 was consecrated and dedicated by Rt. Wor. Bro. J. A. Clift, District Grand Master, assisted by District Grand Lodge officers. It seems very likely that the District Grand Master was the father of Cecil CLIFT. See Family data in the main listing. On the same day that Cecil CLIFT enlisted (regimental number 505) his brother JOHN CLIFT (Reg. No. 503) also enlisted. On 8th April 1915 he was struck off the strength of the Newfoundland Regiment as he was commissioned in the Cameron Highlanders. He then transferred back to the Newfoundland Regiment in October 1917 as a Captain. He was awarded the Military Cross and survived the war. A farewell gathering of masons took place in the Temple in St. John's on September 30, 1914 to bid farewell to the brethren going in the First Contingent to England. A similar event took place in 1915 when the brethren were presented with a special form of prayer to be used during the war. The brethren of all Lodges in Newfoundland contributed to the establishment of the Newfoundland Freemasons Ward of ten cots in a hospital in Southern England.

Masonic :

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley