Born in 1896 at East Maitland, NSW to Lewis Wellard and his wife Catherine (nee Monnox), Clarence was the 7th of 11 children. At some point after the children were born the family moved to the Gloucester district.
Working as a farmer, Clarence enlisted at Casula on the 25th of October 1915 and served with the 11th Reinforcements, 20th Battalion, aged 19 years and 7 months. On the 9th of April 1916, the 11th Reinforcements boarded ‘HMAT A71 Nestor’ at Sydney bound for the UK.
On the 14th of July he was admitted with tonsilitis to the Fargo Military Hospital at Birmingham from the 5th Training Battalion, Rollestone Camp at Bulford. After being discharged back to his unit on the 19th of July, he proceeded overseas on the 9th of September. and marched in to 2nd ADBD at Etaples on the 11th of September.
During July and August the 20th had taken part in the Battle of Pozières, during which time it served in the line twice before moving to a quieter sector in Belgium for a period of rest It was here that on the 2nd of October, Clarence joined his Battalion. In October, however, the entire 2nd Division was moved to the south again and put back into the line in France once again. In November they launched an attack at Flers, in conditions that were so muddy that they were described by the official historian, Charles Bean, as “the worst ever encountered by the AIF”.
On the 28th of December, he reported to the 5th Field Ambulance with a septic thigh and after treatment at hospital rejoined his battalion on the 18th of January 1917.
Throughout 1917 the 20th Battalion was involved in three major battles as the German Army was forced back towards the Hindenburg Line. Shortly after being promoted to Lance Corporal on the 6th of March, on the night of the 27/28th he was involved in a particularly heated action. At Lagnicourt, on 15 April, along with other units from the 5th Brigade, they took part in a defensive action along with four other battalions, where they managed to defeat a counterattack by a German force almost five times its size.
On the 1st of May, Clarence received the Military Medal for his action on the 27th /28th of March, which was followed the next day with his promotion to Lance Corporal.
After the initial assault around Bullecourt during April had failed to penetrate the German lines, British commanders prepared for a second attempt. British artillery began an intense bombardment of the village, which by the 20th of April had been virtually destroyed. Although the infantry assault was planned for the 20th of April, it was pushed back a number of times and was finally set for the early morning of the 3rd of May. At 03:45, elements of the 2nd Australian Division attacked east of Bullecourt village, intending to pierce the Hindenburg Line and capture Hendecourt-lès-Cagnicourt. In the prelude to this assault, Clarence was ‘Killed In Action’ on the 2nd of May- the day he received his promotion to Lance Corporal. He was just 21 years old and at the time and had no known grave.
A cover letter from the Army Base Records on the 29th of December 1917 to his father contained a letter dated 27th of November 1917 notified him of:
Fourth Supplement 300095 to the London Gazette dated 25rh of May 1917:
“His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to award the Military Medal for bravery in the field to the undermentioned non-commissioned officer”:
No 4538 Lance Corporal C.J. Wellard
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The Battalion nomination for the award, written on the 14th of April 1917, which was released in a letter dated the 2nd of August to his mother read:
At about 10:30 pm on the night of 27th/28th March 1917 near Lagnicourt his promptness in getting his Lewis Gun into action succeeded in beating off an enemy attack in which it was endeavoured to capture the post he was defending. He pushed his gun well out and engaged the enemy at point blank range and by his coolness and daring succeeded in dispersing an enemy M.G. crew and enemy bombers. He was largely responsible for the collapse of the enemy attack and his coolness and courage was inspiring to his comrades.
The personal effects returned to his father were a belt with 4 buttons attached, German badge, 4 buttons, Cartridge.
Sadly, the husband of his elder sister Bertha ‘Died of Wounds’ received in an action in September 1918.
