Pte Clifford Arnold Wellings 5059174
6th Battalion Green Howards – C Company
Summary
Clifford Arnold Wellings was born in the Stourbridge area in 1915. The family lived in Wordsley.
He enlisted on the 19th of March 1942 into the North Staffordshire Regiment. When he was captured on the 13th of July 1944, he was with the 6th Battalion Green Howards. He was assigned to Stalag VIII-B from where he would have taken part in “the Long March.”
He died on the 9th of April 1945 still a prisoner and is buried in the British Military Cemetery in Prague.
Early Life
Wellings was born on the 19th of June 1915. Ancestry suggests he had at least two older siblings – a brother and a sister.
The 1939 Register has him living with his parents in New Road, Wordsley near Stourbridge. He is described as a bricklayer and seems to be working with his father.
On enlistment he is described as 6ft tall weighing 174lb, with brown eyes and black hair.
Service Life
His service number suggested that he enlisted before 1942 into the North Staffordshire Regiment (Ancestry note of the Roll of Honour gives 1941), however, we now have his service record, which confirms that he was deemed enlisted on 19th of March 1942 at Shrewsbury as a driver/mechanic. He was still with that regiment on the 6th of March 1944 when he made a Will – his father his executor and sole beneficiary.
A month later, on the 9th of April 1944, he was transferred to 1/6th Battalion. South Staffordshire Regiment.
Then on the 12th of May 1944 he is assigned to 42 RHU (i.e. to be a reinforcement when required).
12th of June 1944 he arrives in France and on the 15th, he is posted to the Green Howards.
Time in Normandy
[See the Regimental Badge Green Howards]
The 6th Battalion Green Howards landed on Gold Beach on D-Day and were the unit to penetrate farthest into Normandy on that day. In the thick of the fighting the Battalion, particularly C company, suffered casualties requiring reinforcement – Wellings joins as a replacement on the 15th of June.
Bill Cheall was also with C Company in Normandy until wounded on the 30th of June, so the book “Fighting through from Dunkirk to Hamburg: A Green Howard’s Wartime Memoir” edited by Paul Cheall from his father’s notes, and the dedicated website, give some insight into what was experienced by that unit.
Wellings was captured on the 13th of July. The War diary says that C Coy were engaged by a German raiding party who came forward shouting “Kamarade.” The forward section prepared to take prisoners but came under small arms fired, suffering casualties – and one man was seized and taken back by the Germans. This would seem to be Wellings.
PoW Life
Arriving at Stalag VIII-B, Teschen on the 23rd of November 1944, we assume by the normal route via Stalag XII-A, Limburg. He was given a PoW number of 82792. It is likely that he was assigned to a workcamp from Teschen.
In January 1945, the inmates of Teschen were marched out on “The Long March” and were on the road for many weeks in the freezing temperatures of that winter.
We have been able to access his German Record card which provided a photograph and some history of his time as a PoW.
[See German PoW Cards – Wellings]
We have now been able to access his Military Service record where it states that he died of pneumonia whilst a prisoner on the 9th of April 1944.
[See Service Record – Wellings]
The Commonwealth War Graves site shows that he was first interred in Cheb (in what was Czechoslovakia). This was a German communication and administrative centre, where there was a large military factory and airport. His service record says the City Cemetery, Eger. He was later reinterred in the British Military Cemetery in Prague.
[See Grave Concentration and Registration reports from CWGC]
[See images of grave and cemetary]
The family will have been contacted by the CWGC to enquire whether they would like to have an inscription in the lower part of the memorial headstone which they did: “Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away? Gone but never forgotten.”
[See Wellings grave headstone schedule and Wellings grave register]
He is commemorated on the Wordsley War Memorial (near Stourbridge in the West Midlands) which lies across from the end of the street in which he lived.
Post War
Research Done
Contact with a lady that Ancestry suggested was his Great Niece was to no avail as she had not even been aware of her Great Uncle’s existence.
We’ve also visited the Regimental museum at Richmond in Yorkshire and have obtained a copy of the (very) brief record card that they have.
Other Links
We have no additional links to show at this time.
Signature Wellings and photo of Wellings [return to info]
Regimental Badge Green Howards [return to info]
Wellings German PoW card [return to info]
Wellings Service Record [return to info]
Wellings Grave Concentration Report and Wellings Grave Registration Report [return to info]
Wellings Prague Cemetary [return to info]
Wellings Grave headstone schedule, Wellings Grave Register [return to info]
Wellings – Wordsley War Memorial [return to info]
Green Howards index card – Wellings [return to info]
