Clifford Sheldon was born in 1895 at Oswestry. He was the fifth of seven children of Harry and Sarah Sheldon. Clifford and his siblings – Horace, Francis, Vernon, Lily and the youngest, Daisy, grew up living at Park Villas, (17) Park Avenue. The family would later move to Stapenhill on Oakhurst Road, Oswestry. Their father worked as an artist and photographer. All brothers worked as clerks, 2 for the Railway, one for a brewer and Clifford, as a junior clerk working for Messrs. Minshall Parry-Jones and Pugh solicitors in Oswestry. Clifford would later work as an auctioneer’s assistant at Hall, Wateridge & Owen, auctioneers and estate agents. Clifford was also active with St Oswald’s Church and served for a time as secretary of the Oswestry Church Club.

His service records show that he enlisted at Oswestry in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers at St. Asaph on 12 August 1915, when he was 19. He spent time at Kinmel Park Camp and at the end of the year was posted to the 13 Bn RWF. He embarked for France over 1/2 January 1916 arriving at Etaples Base Camps, Clifford died of wounds on 25 April 1916 – he was wounded by a gunshot to the abdomen, His service record he is listed as having been wounded on 21 April, it is more likely it was sooner – between 17-20 April the battalion was in the line at Winchester Trench near to Neuve Chapelle, the War Diary records no casualties, He was admitted to 130 Field Ambulance and then moved to 7 CCS (Merville) where he died of his wounds. Clifford is buried at Merville Communal Cemetery, his mother chose the inscription – ‘Jesus in thy gracious keeping leave us now our dear one sleeping’. He is also commemorated on the war memorial at St Oswald’s Church.

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