This man is a candidate for addition to Keighley’s Supplementary Volume under the proposal to add further names in 2024, the centenary of the original roll of honour.
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Supported by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund, our project intends to submit about 120 names for peer review to add them to the book which is kept at Keighley Library. The unveiling of the book with it’s new names is planned for November 2024, 100 years after the unveiling of the original war memorial.

Private. 8th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment. Service no: 24119. (previously 6th Battalion, service no. 4741.)

Private Clifton Preece Emmott

Early life:

Clifton was born in early 1897. His birth was registered in Keighley in the first quarter of the year and his parents were Thomas Emmott and Elizabeth Emmott neé Slack. He was baptised on 4th April at Holy Trinity Church, in the Lawkholme area of Keighley. Their home address at the time was 6, Thrush Street, Keighley, an area of Keighey known as ‘The Birdcage’ because many of the streets are named after birds.
Clifton’s father Thomas was a platelayer, which means he was employed to maintain railways on the tracks, sleepers etc. They may also have lived at 20, Nightingale Street for a while.
By the 1901 census they had moved to 18, Thrush Street, Clifton was four and they had a boarder (George Tilburn) living with them, which would have helped a little with the cost of running the household. Thomas was still working as a platelayer.

Thomas was recorded on the electoral roll for Keighley in 1904, meaning they probably moved to Grassington in 1905, when Clifton would have been eight years old.
The 1911 census shows the family living at Hill Top in Grassington. Thomas was a platelayer for the Midland Railway Company and 14 year old Clifton was working as a postal messenger for H.M. Government. He also had a little brother George, who was just one year old and described on the census as ‘imbecile.’ The census also records that Thomas and Elizabeth had been married for 20 years and had produced four children, two of whom had died. In later years Clifton was described as their only son, suggesting that young George also did not live for long.

War service:

Clifton was a resident of Glen View, Grassington when he enlisted for the duration of the war at Skipton on 4th November 1915, with the 3/6th Battalion, West Riding Regiment (Territorials under the service number 4741.) He also signed for overseas service at the same time.
He was aged 19, his height was 5 feet 2 inches tall and he had a 35 inch chest and good physical development and good vision.

He embarked for France at Folkestone on 25th September 1916 and arrived at Boulogne the next day, where he was transferred to the 1/7th Battalion, West Riding Regiment. Three days later he arrived at the 34th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples and was posted to the 8th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment (with the new service number 24119) on 13th October and joined his unit in the field the next day.
On 20th June 1917 he was admitted to No. 35 Field Ambulance with P.U.O. (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin – essentially Trench Fever.) The next day he was admitted to No. 15 Casualty Clearing Station with Influenza and on to General Hospital at Etaples on the 26th June. He then went to No. 34 Infantry Base depot at Etaples 3rd July and joined his unit in the field on 31st August.
The 8th Battalion West Riding Regiment was taking part in the series of battles leading up to the Battle of Passchendaele. Clifton was killed in action on 9th October 1917 during an attack on the village of Poelcappelle:

8th Battalion West Riding Regiment war diary

(WO-95/1809/1. 11th Division. 32nd Infantry Brigade.)
CANE POST OCT 8: Battalion holding line.
FRONT LINE. OCT 8. 11.10 pm: Battalion moved off for front line in immediate support to the remaining 3 Battalions in the Brigade.
Casualties 1 other rank missing, 1 other rank wounded.
FRONT LINE. OCT 9. 5.20 am: Battalion took part in the attack on the village of POELCAPPELLE, being in immediate support.
Casualties – Officers 2 Lt. A.C.V. Smith (killed) 2 Lt. J C V Grundy (wounded)
Other Ranks – 21 killed, 44 wounded, 4 missing.

The 32 Brigade war diary

(WO-95/1808/1, page 20 to 23.)
This brigade diary for the same period reported that the orders to move had arrived late and this resulted in a hurried move to the front line positions with heavy kit, leaving the men exhausted by the time they arrived.
The 8th Battalion West Riding Regiment were detailed to be in support of the 9th West Yorkshires, the 6th Yorkshires and the 6th York and Lancaster Regiment.
Zero hour was 5.20 am and the barrage begun. At zero – 10 minutes the German barrage began but it did no damage and was not heavy. Our own barrage experienced several dud rounds landing due to the soft mud due to the rain having fallen for the greater part of the previous day. The conditions were one endless mass of shell holes, mud and water was everywhere and it was almost impassable.
The lead battalions attacked but were unsuccessful due to heavy enemy machine gun fire from several points. During the attack, the 8th Battalion sent companies of men to support the lead battalions at GLOSTER FARM, POELCAPPELLE and also behind GLOSTER FARM.

The battalion was relieved on the 10th October, but Clifton had been killed the day before as one of the 21 men killed from the 8th Battalion.

Craven Herald and Wensleydale, 26 October 1917:

(By kind courtesy of www.cpgw.org.uk)
GRASSINGTON – PRIVATE CLIFTON EMMOTT KILLED IN ACTION
We regret to record the death of Pte. Clifton Emmott, of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, only son of Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Emmott, Glen View, Grassington, aged 20 years. The circumstances are set out in the following letter:–
France, Sunday, 14/10/17:
“Dear Mr. and Mrs. Emmott, – It is with sincere regret that we write these few lines to tell you of poor Clifton’s death. He was killed in action on October 9th 1917, whilst we were making an attack at Poelcappelle, which is between Roulers and Ypres. It was about an hour after we went over. His death was instantaneous, he suffered no pain. I was with him all the day before we went over and he seemed bright and cheerful. He was not only a true soldier of our earthly king but to the King of Kings. He was reading his bible and singing hymns before we went up. We often noticed him reading his bible. He said his father asked him to read a little every day and I am sure he did so. We miss him very much as he was more like a brother than our friend. We used to often remark ‘what’s ours is yours’ and ‘what’s yours is ours’ when we had parcels or anything else; it was always share and share alike. All the boys in his platoon are very sorry to lose him; he was respected and liked by all. Please accept our deepest sympathy in your sad bereavement. TEDDY & VIC.”
23 November 1917:
GRASSINGTON – In Memory
A memorial service in memory of Private Clifton Emmott, of Grassington, was held in the Primitive Methodist Church on Sunday evening. The deceased soldier died in France on October 9th during the fighting in the region of Poelcapelle. He was an active member of the Primitive Methodist Church, and of the Sunday School Christian Endeavour and choir connected with it. Appropriate hymns were sung, including John Oxenham’s hymn for the men at the Front. The service was conducted by the Rev. S. J. Dando, resident minister.

Clifton had served for 1 year and 340 days, of which 1 year and 14 days was overseas service. He was aged 20 when he died and he has no known final resting place. He is remembered on panels 82 to 85 and 162a of The Tyne Cot war memorial in Belgium.
On 6th February 1918, Clifton’s father Thomas was awarded £3. 0s. 10d and a further payment of £0 11s. 11d. on 20th March from Clifton’s Army pay account.
Clifton’s parents also received a dependants pension of six shillings and six pence, beginning on 30th April 1918.
On 5th November 1919, Clifton’s father Thomas was awarded a war gratuity payment of £9. 0s. 0d.
Thomas received Clifton’s memorial plaque and scroll on 9th June 1919 and would also have received his war medals in 1920 or 1921. These would have been the British War Medal and Victory Medal.

The Army form W.5058 (details of relatives) completed by Thomas on 7th June 1919 shows that Clifton had no siblings, confirming that his younger brother George had not survived his childhood.

Locally, Clifton is named on the Roll Call of the Skipton Division Liberal and Conservative Associations, August 4th 1914 – August 4th 1916. He is also named on the Grassington Devonshire Institute Roll of Honour, the Linton-in Craven war memorial and in the Book of Remembrance for the church of Saint Michael & All Angels.

Information sources:

England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910
West Yorkshire, England, Electoral Registers, 1840-1962
1901 England Census
1911 England Census
British Army Service Records 1914-1920 Wo 363 – First World War Service Records
WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929
World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923
Craven Herald transcriptions are courtesy of the www.cpgw.org.uk website:
Craven’s Part in the Great War https://cpgw.org.uk/soldier-records/clifton-preece-emmott/
Roll Call of the Skipton Division Liberal and Conservative Associations 1914 – 1916