CHRISTMAS, Clarence Anthony


No.553962, Rifleman, Clarence Anthony CHRISTMAS
Aged 22


"B" Coy., 1st/16th Battalion, London Regiment (Queen's Westminster Rifles)
Killed in Action on Sunday, 8th April 1917


Clarence Anthony Christmas was born in Great Gransden (Caxton Q4-1894 3B:422), son of Anthony and Mary Ann CHRISTMAS (née FULLER ).


1901 census...Aged 6, he was at Green End, Comberton with his father Anthony CHRISTMAS [52] farmer born Cottenham; his mother Mary A [48] born Little Gransden; brothers John [26] and James [21] both working as farmer's son; sisters Clara J [19], Emily A [17], Rose H [16], Alice K [13] and Maud E [9]. ll the children were born in Great Gransden. There other sisters, Sarah [1876] and Mary Ann [1878].

1911 census...Aged 16, working on the his father's farm, was at Manor Farm, Green End, Comberton with his parents, brothers John and James; sisters Sarah, Clara, Alice and Maud. All the children were working on the farm. All 10 siblings survived.

The family later moved to "Shardclows", Horseheath. The connection with Shudy Camps has to be that Shardlows was at Mill Green, actually closer to Shudy Camps than Horseheath.



He enlisted in Sudbury. The St Neots Advertiser of 20th April 1917 reported that he was killed "by the side of his elder brother, who picked him up, and in whose arms he died".

This would have been brother James who was in the same Battalion and survived the war.

The war diary:-
8th April - At about 1am a few shells were fired into ACHICOURT with the result that a barn adjoining one of the "A" Company billets caught fire. "A" Company turned out immediately and their efforts prevented the fire from spreading. At about noon the town was again shelled/"B" Company HQ received a direct hit, causing part of the building to collapse, thereby inflicting many casualties on a platoon of men of this company who were taking shelter in the building. The shelling ceased about 1 pm, but started again at 2 pm. This time a lorry loaded with 9.2" ammunition was it and immediately burst into flames. The fire spread to adjacent lorries, until in all there were twenty burning.After a time the ammunition began to explode and some of the houses in the square began to blaze. A great deal of damage was caused by this fire, , many billets being burned and a large quantity of stores and equipment buried beneath the ruins.At 8:15 pm the Battalion moved up from ACHICOURT to the RESERVE AREA,west of BEUARAINS. Battalion "all in" by midnight
Casualties 1 Officer (2nd Lieut A G Beville) and 16 OR killed, 31 OR wounded


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photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission



Clarence Christmas is buried in Agny Military Cemetery, grave G:62
and is also commemorated on the Great Gransden war memorial

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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