| James Ernest Cliff was born in Paparoa on
4/1/1887 and died 7/7/1918. He was the second son of Richard and Elizabeth
Cliff, (nee Sykes). Their families were early settlers on the Kaipara
Harbour at Paparoa. Richard and his family came from Handley in
Staffordshire and Elizabeth was 6 years old when her family emigrated to
NZ in !865. They were from Barnsley in Yorkshire. Richard and Elizabeth
had a family of two sons, Leonard and Ernest and 7 girls, Fanny, Bertha,
Mary, May, Jessie, Ina and Hilda.
Three daughters, Fanny, Bertha and Mary all died within a week of a
mysterious illness, now thought to be diphtheria. Ernest and Leonard were
kauri bushmen and logged these trees that covered most of the area north
of Auckland. Ernest continued working around Whangarei before he left for
1st WW duties on the SS Tofua, 11 October 1916.His service number was
17697.
Kindly sent in by Mary Green (Grand niece of Ernest).
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