The Woodside men and boys will be remembered:
Brothers in Arms, William CLASOHM (254) and Stanley CLASOHM (6798)
When the First World War broke out on August 4, 1914, over 52,000
Australians rushed to enlist in first 5 months of the war. Of the 331,781 who
eventually served overseas in the Great War, many groups enlisted together such
as brothers, or mates from the same towns and suburbs across Australia. The
bothers’ stories are particularly moving as many families experienced losing
more than one of their sons: the Woodside community is one example of this.
The Woodside Honour Roll features three families who lost
more than one son: the Clasohm, East and Eglinton families all lost 2 or 3 of
their boys. The brothers’ stories will be retold together as ‘Brothers in Arms’.
William CLASOHM (254)
The Clasohm boys lived in Balhannah but are named on the Woodside
Honour Roll both working locally and serving in the Cadets and Citizens Forces
prior to the outbreak of the war. Their next of kin was their father, John
Clasohm.
William James Clasohm was the older of the two boys and
enlisted on January 1st, 1916, at the age of 21. William was listed
as a gardener. He was 5’7” in height and had blue eyes and brown hair. William’s
nominated religion was the Church of England. Though enlisting in January of
1916, it wasn’t until June 9 that he departed from Australia aboard the A 19’Africa’
from Outer Harbour in South Australia. Just
over a month later he disembarked at Marseilles in France on the 20th
of July 1916 just as the AIF was preparing for its first battles on the western
front at Fromelles in northern France. William however spent 2 months in the UK
before he joined his battalion at Etaples early September and proceeded to join
the 43rd Battalion transferring from the 16th on 4th
October 1916. In the final months of 1916 William’s records indicate he contracted
mumps and was hospitalised in December and most of January 1917.
He re-joined his unit late January 1917 and on May 23rd
was charged with the crime of ‘Disobedience of orders in that he did not
carry his greatcoat in his pack when ordered to do so. He was awarded the loss
of 7 days pay.’
A few weeks later June 7th William was wounded in
action with gun shot wounds to his hand and transferred to a field hospital away
from the front lines at Wimereux where he was treated for several weeks before returning
to the front on July 6. Just 3 months later Private William James Clasohm was
killed in action in the field on October 4, 1917, in the horrific Third Battle
of Ypres specifically at Broodseinde Ridge. This theatre of war more commonly referred
to as the Battle of Passchendaele, is said to be one of the worst of the war. Like
so many of his peers in this muddy war-torn landscape of Flanders, the young
man from the Adelaide hills was never found and so Private William James
Clasohm from Balhannah is remembered on the Menin Gate in Ypres along with
55,000 other Commonwealth troops ‘Known Unto God’.
His name is recorded on this iconic war memorial on panel
7-17-23-25-27-29-31 and has not been forgotten. Every night in Ypres at 8.00 pm
a Last Post Ceremony is conducted at the Menin Gate and all traffic is stopped where
the public gather to remember all the war dead from the Great War. The Last Post
is played, ‘The Ode’ read and wreaths laid by members of the public who choose
to honour specific individuals or regiments. This ceremony was initiated in 1927
and except for the period of the second world war, has never missed a night’s
dedication. During WW2 it was continued in London due to German occupation of Belgium
and recently during the Covid lockdowns in 2020-21 it was continued without the
public present. Next year if the 2022 Connecting Spirits Community tour resumes
as planned in September/October, then if any of the Clasohm family request it,
we will include William in our Menin gate ceremony.
The Menin Gate War Memorial to the Missing in Ypres, Belgium. Over 55,000 names of missing Commonwealth soldiers killed in WW1 are listed on this memorial opened in 1927. The town’s traffic pass through the Menin gate until 8.00 pm when each evening the roads are closed for the Last Post Ceremony where the public attend from across the globe.
PHOTO CREDIT: Julie Reece
The walls of the Menin Gate are covered with names…they are remembered, William James Clasohm is just one…
PHOTO CREDIT: Julie Reece
Stanley
CLASOHM (6798)
Stanley Edward Clasohm was the younger brother of William and
at when he enlisted on August 15th, 1917, was underage. At 18 years
Stanley had to provide written permission from his father to join his older
brother on the front lines. At 5’6” this young boy with blue eyes and ‘fair’
hair enlisted joining the 48th Battalion leaving on the H.M.A.T “Aeneas”
from the port of Melbourne on 30th October 1917. The true tragedy of
these Brothers in Arms was played out at this point: Stanley’s older brother
was killed in action 26 days prior to Stanley’s departure. One can only imagine
the fear and grief of these boys’ parents when they farewelled this 18-year-old
having already learnt of the loss of their son William.
As Stanley proceeded to Europe, he was admitted to hospital
on board ship and eventually disembarked at Devonport in the UK on 17th
December. His army service records state that he spent several months in the UK
on the Salisbury Plains near Fovant, joining the battalion in training. In
April of the final year of the war Stanley was moved to the front lines in France
only to be seriously wounded on the 11th of July 1918 with major gunshot
wounds to his face.
After a mere 3 months of active service this young man died
at the age of 19 in a Casualty Clearing Station on the Somme on July 12th1918
in the final months of the war. He was buried at Crouy British Cemetery at
Crouy-Sur-Somme 16 kilometres northwest of Amiens. The war that had raged for 4
years was ending but once more the Clasohm family lost a much-loved son. The song
‘He was only 19’ written for a soldier in the Vietnam war, resonates here with
Stanley’s narrative. Let us hope we can visit this young man’s grave in 2022 on
behalf of the Clasohm family and our community.
LEST WE FORGET
