Local Heroes WW1
WELFARE, Spencer Gifford
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(Pte) Spencer Gifford Welfare
Private (Pte) Spencer Gifford Welfare, 4th Battalion, of Semaphore, SA. A blacksmith before enlisting in March 1916, Pte Welfare left Australia for England with the 22nd Reinforcements in November 1916 and arrived in France for service on the Western Front in March 1917.
According to his Red Cross Wounded and Missing Bureau file, Pte Welfare was a member of the battalion band and was in the line for the first time, assisting in bringing up duckboards to consolidate the ground gained during the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge on 4 October 1917. He was hit by fragments of a German shell and died moments later, aged 28.
| Regimental number | 6819 |
| Place of birth | Adelaide, South Australia |
| School | Glanville Public School, South Australia |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Occupation | Blacksmith |
| Address | Orange Street, Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Marital status | Married |
| Age at embarkation | 26 |
| Next of kin | Wife, Mrs A Welfare, c/o Mrs W J Marin, Turton Street, Semaphore, South Australia |
| Previous military service | Nil |
| Enlistment date | 11-Mar-16 |
| Rank on enlistment | Private |
| Unit name | 4th Battalion, 22nd Reinforcement |
| AWM Embarkation Roll number | 23/21/4 |
| Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board SS Port Nicholson on 8 November 1916 |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Private |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | 4th Battalion |
| Fate | Died of wounds 4 October 1917 |
| Miscellaneous details (Nominal Roll) | *Clifford spelt Gifford |
| Age at death | 28 |
| Panel number, Roll of Honour, | 42 |
| Australian War Memorial | |
| Miscellaneous information from | Parents: Joseph Henry and Fanny WELFARE. |
| cemetery records | |
| Other details | War service: Western Front |
| Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal | |
Red Cross Reports
ID number P07561.001
Collection Photograph
Object type Black & white - Print silver gelatin
Photographer Unknown
Place made United Kingdom: England
Date made January 1917