Contributed by Ron Inglis, October 2021:
Blacksmith’s striker Clyde Edward Davis, 30, was born in Junee, NSW. He was the son of Richard and Louisa Davis of Short Street, Auburn. He enlisted on 13 August 1915 at Holsworthy and embarked on the Suevic on 22 December 1915. With him on the Suevic were five other Auburn Memorial men: Owen Coughlan, George Jerome, John Hoban, Charles Waterhouse and Herbert Jones.
In Egypt, Private Davis was posted to the Pioneers in the Fourth Australian Division. He moved on with them to France arriving at the port of Marseilles on 11 June 1916. The division was taken by train to the Nursery Sector in the north of France, but then in mid-July was brought back down to the Somme to join in the First Battle of the Somme that had been launched by British forces on 1 July 1916. Davis suffered multiple gunshot wounds after just a few days of battle and died of his wounds on 31 August 1916. He was one of the casualties of the fierce Australian attacks around Pozières and Mouquet Farm.
Of the 23 Auburn Memorial men killed in the early stage of the Battle of the Somme, only eight have a known grave. Three of them, Private Clyde Davis, Private Archibald McSparron and Private George Grainger, lie in the Puchevillers British Cemetery located in the AIF’s allocated area immediately west of the battle-gateway town of Albert.
Clyde Davis is honoured on the following memorials in Australia:
- Auburn War Memorial
- Municipality of Auburn 1914-1919 Honour Roll
- Roll of Honour Australian War Memorial Canberra
His decorations:
- British War Medal
- 1914-20 Victory Medal
