Next of kin: Florence Eleanor Ashdown (mother), 40A Cabramatta Road, Mosman
Date of enlistment: 2 December 1915
Place of enlistment: Sydney
Age at enlistment: 22
Fate: Embarked HMAT A35 "Berrima", Sydney, 17 December 1915. Admitted to 3rd Auxiliary Hospital, Heliopolis, with influenza 10 March 1916. Discharged to duty, Zeitoun, 20 March 1916. Transferred to the 14th Field Company Engineers 28 March 1916. Transferred to 1st Australian General Hospital 10 August 1917. Knocked down by a motor ambulance, Rouen, 11 January 1918. Admitted to Reading War Hospital with contusions to back and throat 11 January 1918. Transferred to 3rd Auxiliary Hospital 7 February 1918. Discharged to furlough 14 February 1918. Marched in to Australian General Base Depot 17 April 1918. Hospitalised 23 April 1918. Discharged to unit 28 April 1918. Transferred to AIF Administration Headquarters in London for transport duty to Australia 12 July 1918. Embarked HT "Carpentaria", England, for nursing duties to Australia 8 August 1918. Disembarked Melbourne 4 October 1918. Discharged from AIF, Sydney, 23 November 1918.
Date of death: 15 May 1954, Chatswood
Clive Ashdown was born in Bega in 1893, where his father, Edward Parker Ashdown, was the manager of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney. In April 1899 Edward was appointed manager of the Orange branch of the bank, a position that he held until his death in March 1909.
The eighth of nine children, Clive followed the example of three of his brothers and enlisted in WWI in December 1915. He embarked from Sydney just two weeks later, a driver with the 7th Field Company Engineers, 2nd Reinforcements.
Driver Ashdown was hospitalised on several occasions during his service. In March 1916 he was admitted to the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital in Heliopolis with influenza. And in January 1918 he was accidently knocked down by a motor ambulance in Rouen, suffering contusions to his back and throat and necessitating his evacuation to Reading War Hospital in England.
Clive was assigned nursing duties aboard the "Carpentaria" during his return to Australia. He was discharged from the AIF in November 1918.
It appears that Clive, like his father, was employed by the Commercial Bank. In 1923 he was employed in the Leeton branch, and in November that year was acting manager of the Quirindi branch while the manager took leave. Later in life he was an officer with State of New South Wales Bank. Clive died at his home in Chatswood in May 1954. He was survived by his wife, Elsie Mary nee Murdoch.
Clive Ashdown is commemorated on the Holy Trinity Church Orange Honour Roll, where his father had been a church warden.
Three of Clive's brothers and one of his sisters also served in WWI: Cecil Parker Ashdown and Edmond Arthur Ashdown were killed in action in France in July 1916 and April 1917 respectively, Ernest Ewen Ashdown returned to Australia in March 1916; Staff Nurse Maud Ashdown was discharged from the Australian Army Nursing Service in March 1917.
