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VICTORIA CROSS RECIPIENTS
Because the Dudley War Memorial has been mentioned in this
Research about our Redhead soldiers, it is very appropriate to draw
attention to the significant fact that two ex students of the
neighbouring Dudley Public School were awarded the Victoria Cross.
They were Clarence Smith Jeffries and William Matthew Currey
.
The Victoria Cross is the highest award for acts of bravery in wartime.
Clarence Smith Jeffries and William Matthew Currey were two of only
nineteen soldiers from New South Wales who were awarded the Victoria
Cross. Overall 64 Australian soldiers were recipients of a Victoria Cross
in World War 1 . These very significant achievements have been
acknowledged by Dudley Public School.
The mural at Dudley Public School honouring the Victoria Cross
recipients.
Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries of the 34
th
Battalion
was the only son
of Joshua and Barbara Jeffries. A surveyor from Abermain he had risen
to the rank of Captain in the 34
th
Battalion. He had had previous military
training that probably ensured he received early promotion to Captain.
Like many young Australian officers he led by example from the front.
Despite being wounded in the thigh in an earlier courageous attack on an
enemy machine gun pillbox in the Battle of Passchendaele he returned to
his Battalion and was killed in action at Passchendaele on 12 October
1917 aged 23. His bravery earned a Victoria Cross. The following
citation outlines the reasons for his award:
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