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203496 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
Clarence Francis, known as Cecil was born around 1897 in Kimbolton, the second son of Walter William and Ellen Francis. His father was a provision merchant and the family lived in East Road, Cambridge before moving to Sudbury in 1909. They had a grocer’s shop on the corner of Cross Street and Church Street. Cecil had four sisters: Ellen, Lucy, Mabel and Ivy and two brothers: Arthur and Percy. By 1911 Cecil was working for his father as a grocer’s assistant but later worked on the railway, and preferred by then to be known as ‘Jim’. His elder brother, Arthur William (known as William) served in the Labour Corps and served as the camp barber; he survived the war.
The 7th Battalion formed part of 54th Brigade, 18th (Eastern) Division. In March 1918 the Germans launched their Spring Offensive (Operation Michael) and the battalion saw action at the Battles of St. Quentin (21 – 23 March), Avre (4 April) and Villers-Brettoneux (24 – 25 May). It is not known when Cecil was wounded.
Cecil or ‘Jim’ as he preferred to be called by this time died of wounds in the Lord Derby Hospital, Warrington aged 19 on the 17 May 1918 and was buried in Sudbury Cemetery (Plot QQ 44) on 22 May 1918. He was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
A Cross of Remembrance is laid by his grave every year at Remembrancetide.
After the war his father, mother and most of his siblings returned to Cambridge. One sister stayed in Sudbury and married a local man. Cecil is also on the Sudbury War Memorial under ‘Cecil Francis Clarence’. It is believed that one relative gave his correct name and someone else gave the name he was known as i.e. Cecil Francis (Clarence) as no record of a Cecil Francis Clarence can be traced.
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