Clifford William King Sadlier, VC (1892 – 28 April 1964) was an Australian recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces.

Early life

Born in the Melbourne suburb of

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

, Sadlier attended University High School before his family moved to Western Australia while he was still a youth. They settled at

Subiaco, Western Australia Subiaco (known colloquially as Subi) is an inner-Western suburbs (Perth), western suburb of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is approximately west of Perth's central business district, in the City of Subiaco local government area. H ...

from where Sadlier, then employed as a commercial traveller, enlisted on 26 May 1915.

First World War

Sadlier first embarked on board HT ''Nestor'', posted to the

Australian Army Medical Corps The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing medical care to Army personnel. The AAMC was formed in 1902 through the amalgamation of medical units of the various Australian coloni ...

and allotted as a reinforcement to 1st Australian General Hospital, with which he served at Heliopolis. In February 1916 he returned to Australia on nursing duty, and on 9 November he re-embarked, on board ''HMAT AT Argyllshire'' then as a reinforcement to 51st Battalion. The 51st Battalion, Australian Imperial Force was raised at

Tel-el-Kebir Tell El Kebir ( ar, التل الكبير lit."the great mound") is 110 km north-north-east of Cairo and 75 kilometres south of Port Said on the edge of the Egyptian desert at the altitude of 29 m. Administratively, it is a part of the Isma ...

, Egypt, on 1 March 1916 from half of the 11th Battalion (veterans of the Gallipoli landings) and reinforcements of the 11th and 28th Battalions, all personnel being Western Australian volunteers. Sadlier joined the unit in France on 13 May 1917, was promoted to corporal a few days later and on 14 July 1917 was gazetted to a first appointment as a second lieutenant. Promotion to lieutenant came on 1 April 1918.

Victoria Cross

He was 26 years old, and a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the 51st Battalion, Australian Imperial Force during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

when the following deed took place during the

Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux The Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux (also Actions of Villers-Bretonneux, after the First Battles of the Somme, 1918) took place from 24 to 27 April 1918, during the German spring offensive to the east of Amiens. It is notable for being the ...

for which he was awarded the VC.

Later life

Sadlier was invalided to Australia on 24 August 1918 and was discharged on 4 March 1919. He returned to Western Australia living at

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton ...

and for some years was State Secretary of the

Returned and Services League of Australia The Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) is a support organisation for people who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force. Mission The RSL's mission is to ensure that programs are in place for the well-being, care ...

. From 1926 to 1929, Sadlier was on the Claremont Road Board (

City of Nedlands The City of Nedlands is a local government area in the inner western suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, about west of Perth's central business district. The City is situated within the western suburbs of the metropolit ...

), including as

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

in 1928 and 1929. He married Alice Edith Smart on 17 July 1936. From then until 1949 he was a clerk in the Repatriation Department in Perth. He went to London in 1956 for the Victoria Cross Centenary celebrations. He died in Busselton on 28 April 1964 and was cremated at

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

, Perth. His ashes were taken from there by the funeral director. In 1980, his widow donated his medals to St. George's Cathedral, and they are held in a safe there, with replicas on display in the Soldiers' Chapel. The Clifford Sadlier Ward at the former

Repatriation General Hospital, Hollywood Hollywood Private Hospital (Hollywood) is an acute care hospital located in Nedlands, Western Australia. Hollywood is Western Australia's largest private hospital, with more than 900 licensed beds. The hospital is part of Ramsay Health Care Gro ...

is named in his honour, and Cliff Sadlier VC Memorial Park in

Daglish, Western Australia Daglish is a small western suburb of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is approximately west of the Perth central business district, and within the City of Subiaco local government area. It was named after Henry Daglish, who was the ...

, near Subiaco, is named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadlier, Clifford William King 1892 births 1964 deaths Australian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Australian Army officers Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery Military personnel from Melbourne People educated at University High School, Melbourne People from Sydney Military personnel from Western Australia People from Camberwell, Victoria