Clarence Rhody Schwan Hoffman was born in the mining town of Moonta, South Australia on 17 January 1894, the second child born to Rody Schwan and Sarah Elizabeth Hoffman. Clarence’s older sister, Elizabeth Rhoda Schwan Hoffman, was born in 1891. Their parents weren’t married and Rody left South Australia while Clarence was still an infant, travelling to join his brothers in Kalgoorlie Western Australia.

His brothers were William and Albert Schwan, both also born in Moonta but later became prospectors in the Kalgoorlie region. Rody also had an older sister, Elizabeth, who was believed to have remained in South Australia as a nurse; she did not marry. Both brothers married and raised families in the Kalgoorlie area and became prominent community members.

William’s granddaughter, Maggie Schwann, reports that from the soldier’s portrait she can see a resemblance between Clarence and his uncle William. Both uncle and nephew had military training as William was a sergeant who served in the Boer War departing Australia in November 1899. From newspaper reports, it seems that the Schwan brothers were well known in WA footballing circles with all three umpiring at various times. Rody was also a successful sprinter as a young man winning several Sheffield handicaps – these were 130-yard handicap races that were popular in the era, usually with a monetary prize for the winner.

Clarence was educated at the Public School in Adelaide and became a saddler. Below average height, being only 5 feet 2 inches and weighing 8 stone 4 lbs (118 pounds), he was rejected when applying for the Citizen Military Forces because he had a withered arm. Despite his apparent disability, he was able to enlist in Adelaide on 21st September 1915 and he embarked with the 32nd Battalion for Egypt in February 1916.

Private Clarence Rhody Schwan Hoffman was killed in the Battle of Fromelles, France on 20th July 1916 at the age of 22 years 6 months. Clarence was named as buried in the mass grave between the Australian and German front lines (known as Pheasant Wood) by a German burial party after the battle. A list of the Australian dead was compiled by the Germans as they buried them, taking ID tags from the bodies.

We know his mother and siblings were heartbroken, posting memorial notices for their son and brother, Clarry Hoffman, each July for decades. The examples below are from 1917, 1929 and 1938.

Having been officially advised in December 1916 that Clarence had been killed in action, his mother, Sarah Briggs, wrote a letter to the Officer in Charge on 5 April 1917, asking for information about her son’s death:

Sarah was never to discover where her son was buried but she did receive his identity disc in November 1917. His personal effects (a notebook, letters, photos) were finally returned to her in July 1920.

In January 1918, there was a sad query from Clarence’s sister, Elizabeth, asking the authorities for the death certificates for her brother and also for her husband, David Joshua Pascoe. He had died on 27 September 1917 in Belgium, aged 27. They had been married only 3 weeks before he left for Egypt. Like Clarence, David also has no known grave but is commemorated at the Menin Gate.

In 1920, Sarah applied for an extension to her living allowance as she was a widow and had lost the support from her eldest son. Life would not have been easy.

We are still seeking suitable DNA donors and hope that Clarence will one day be identified.