A NARROMINE veteran who served during the First and Second World War has been remembered during the local Remembrance Day service this morning and will soon be formally recognised for his service with an official war grave.

William Francis ‘Nip’ Clifford was born on 16 May 1892 at Wallsend NSW and was a known sporting figure in Dubbo and Narromine in the early 1910s.

Mr Clifford was also with the Royal Australian Navy before enlisting with the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in 1917 in the 3rd Battalion, 24th Reinforcement.

Mr Clifford's brother Terrance Clifford also served in the 3rd Battalion and was killed in action on the Western Front on 23 August 1918.

He was buried in the Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres in France and his name is on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra.

Two other Clifford brothers, Matthew and James also served, with James losing a leg fighting in Belgium.

Nip himself was gassed on the Western Front during the war. After the war ended he enlisted in the AIF Special Service in 1919 and until late 1920 was escorting internees to Germany.

In 1936, Mr Clifford was the Narromine RSL Sub- Branch’s delegate at the RSL State Congress in Sydney. Also, in December 1937 it was reported Mr Clifford was appointed the first resident caretaker at the Narromine Aerodrome, which is now a big attraction for the town with several major projects currently in development.

Mr Clifford again put himself forward - on two separate occasions - for duty during World War 2. After first joining in August 1940, he was discharged in June 1941 before re-enlisting a week later.

He was finally discharged in July 1942 as being medically unfit and died in Dubbo from a heart attack five months later at the age of 50. He was buried in the Old Dubbo Cemetery in an unmarked grave in December 1942.

After Mr Clifford's death, articles in local newspapers detailed his war service and sporting involvements in the Dubbo and Narromine areas, especially in regard to boxing and rugby league.

Not wanting him to be forgotten, a war grave claim was lodged with the Commonwealth Department of Veterans’ Affairs in January 2021.

Initial claims that his WW2 service contributed to an early death were later dismissed and related instead linked to his service in WW1.

The Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG) will now arrange the commemoration for Mr Clifford and his service will be commemorated at the Garden of Remembrance in Sydney.

According to Secretary of the Narromine RSL sub-branch Ted Davies, a commemorative plaque has now been ordered by OAWG. He said memorials of this nature take approximately three months to complete.

Mr Davies, who told Mr Clifford's story at the Remembrance Day service this morning at the local cenotaph, will also nominate that William Francis Clifford’s name be included in the list of names that will be on the updated WW1 plaque on the Narromine RSL Sub- Branch’s Honour Wall.