Regiment: Royal Fusiliers (4th Battalion)
Service No: GS/78147
Date and place of birth: 12 July 1899 Milland/Iping, near Midhurst, Sussex
Date and place of death: 11 August 1919 (aged 20) Cottage Hospital, Petersfield, Hampshire
Private Montague William Clue was born in the third quarter of 1899 the son of a labourer. He saw service with the Royal Fusiliers in the latter part of 1918. He returned home only to die at Petersfield Cottage Hospital in August 1919.
Family background
Montague William Clue’s birth was registered in the third quarter of 1899 in the Midhurst registration district. Subsequent censuses state variously that he was born in Milland or in Iping. He was baptised at St Mary’s Church, Iping on 15 October 1899, when his date of birth was recorded as 12 July 1899.
He was the second son of James and Ellen Clue and at the date of the 1901 Census they were living with James’ widowed mother, Emma in South Bersted, Bognor Regis. However, since Montague (then aged 1) had been born near Midhurst, it is likely that the family had not lived there long.
By 1911 the family was living at Meyers Cottage, Milland near Liphook which was postally in Hampshire and James was working as a farm labourer. He had by then been married 14 years and all five of the children born to the marriage were living. It should be noted that in both census returns the family surname is clearly written as “Glue” whilst the birth and death records indicate that the surname was “Clue”.
Military service
Montague Clue seems to have enlisted and served as William Clue. His name is noted as having served in the Royal Fusiliers in the 4th Battalion. In the Medal Roll schedule his dates of active service are recorded as 9 June 1918 to 15 December 1918.
Death and commemoration
Private Clue died in the Cottage Hospital at Petersfield on 11 August 1919 at the age of 20 and his Death Certificate shows that he had then been working as a carter for a haulage contractor and was ex-army. The cause of death was listed as “gangrenous phimosis” and this was probably as a result of his war service.
Although his name was not placed on the main war memorial in Iping Church, which may have been finished before he died, he was included on the memorial plaque on the organ in Iping Marsh church which was bought with moneys from the parish’s war memorial fund to commemorate the dead. Unfortunately, his name is also incorrectly recorded as “Glue”.