Pte Clifford Wellings 5059174

The man who did not survive

Unfortunately, Pte Clifford Arnold Wellings did not survive the war.

He died on 9th April 1945 and as a result is buried in Prague War Cemetery http://bit.ly/PragueCemy . The grave is listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website http://bit.ly/WellingsDet.

The concentration report from 1947 on the CWGC site shows that he was first interred in Cheb Cemetery. Cheb was an important centre lying just inside the Czech border. It was the first Czech city to be liberated by the Americans (25-27th April 1945).

He was one of the men who were held at Stalag VIIIb, Teschen and therefore was subject to “The Long March”. His prisoner number was 82792.

Genealogy

Wellings came from Wordsley , near Stourbridge, West Midlands (then Staffordshire). His name appears on the Wordsley War Memorial, which is situated close to Holy Trinity Church. The Memorial lies across the road from the end of the street in which Clifford lived with his parents.

War Memorial on Google Maps


View Wordsley War Memorial in a larger map

We do not know how Wellings died. However, one possibility is that it was as a result of bombing raids supporting the Russian army’s advance into Prague. Another is that, as he was on the “Long March,”  he died due to the continuing effects of that experience.

The 1939 Register gives Clifford’s date of birth as 19th June 1915  and states that he was a bricklayer – as was his father. He did not marry it seems.

We have contacted a descendant of on of his siblings, but she knew nothing about him.