Clifford Frederick Cone

A Private with 35th Company, Clifford died on 14th of July 1917 at the age of 28.  

Clifford was born at Lowestoft on 22nd November 1887, a son of Arthur and Esther Annie Cone. Clifford was baptised at Christchurch, Lowestoft, on 1st January 1888.

In 1891 his family lived at 19 Union Road, Lowestoft. By 1901 Clifford, and his brother Thomas, were lodging at Lound. The 1911 Census shows them lodging with Sarah Youngs at Lound and Clifford worked as a 'estate' carpenter and he probably worked on the Somerleyton Estate.

In World War One Clifford volunteered to join the Army and initially he served with the Suffolk Regiment, service number 12099. He arrived in France with the 7th Battalion Suffolk Regiment on 30th May 1915. The 7th Battalion were part of 35 Brigade in the 12th Division.

Clifford was a machine-gunner and he was transferred to serve with the Machine Gun Corps. He joined the 35th Company which had been formed from the machine-gunners of the 35th Brigade. 

We do not know exactly when Clifford was wounded but the War Diary of the 35th Company (WO 95/1853) shows that during July 1917 one man died of his wounds, which must have been Clifford. On 6 July 1917 the Company had relieved the 36th Machine Gun Company in positions near Monchy (close to Arras). There was an enemy counter-attack on 'Long Trench' on 10 July as well as heavy fire on Lanyard and Puppy trenches during the night of 10/11 July. It is possible that this is when Clifford was wounded.   

He would have been taken to one of the nearby Casualty Clearing Stations where he succumbed to his wounds on 14 July 1917.