Major Clifford Richardson Memorial Gates, Armidale

About

The memorial is a gate at the entrance to The Armidale School (TAS), dedicated to Major Clifford Russell Richardson, a former pupil who served in the First World War. There are two wrought iron gates, with the letters 'TAS' attached to the right-hand side gate. The gates are suspended from two brick columns, topped with two urns, supporting wrought iron lights. There is a polished granite plaque on the western-side column, bearing the inscription. The gates were dedicated on 18 August 1957 by Bishop Moyes of Armidale.  Clifford Russell Richardson was born on 21 June 1890 in Armidale, NSW. As a single man, aged 24 years, and a merchant storekeeper of J. Richardson and Co. Ltd., Armidale he enlisted on 27 August 1914 as a Captain in the 2nd Battalion, A Company. His unit embarked from Sydney on board HMAT A23 Suffolk on 18 October 1914. Richardson served in Egypt and Gallipoli, Turkey. He was wounded at the Dardanelles on 9 May 1915 and moved to a Manchester hospital. In August 1915, he returned to Australia on the HMAT Ballarat.  On 9 April 1916, his unit embarked from Sydney on board HMAT A71 Nestor. He was awarded the Military Cross near Gaba Tepe, Gallipoli on 25 April 1916. He was discharged on 16 October 1916 and returned to Australia.  Upon his death in 1946, the Armidale Express, 5 July 1946, published a detailed account of his military career, and his professional and personal life in Armidale. It was reported he had died as the managing director of J. Richardson and Co. He was a strong supporter of The Armidale School, which he attended in the early 1900s, had served as Deputy Mayor of Armidale and in many community organisations.

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