Mothers and Widows badge : Mrs Ford

Circular silver coloured mothers' and widows' badge with safety chain and pin. The obverse shows a raised image of a woman and part of a laurel wreath with the words 'FOR AUSTRALIA' in raised letters. The reverse has a hinged securing pin and raised lettering which reads 'ISSUED BY THE C'WLTH GOVT A F.' and 'G&E RODD 1944'. The number '9105' is impressed between the two inscriptions. Suspended by two securing rings from the bottom of the badge is a flat rectangular bar with a single gold seven pointed star in the centre.

This badge was issued to mothers and widows of those members of the Australian Army, Navy or Airforce who died or were killed whilst on active service. Clarence Frederick ('Fred') Ford was born at Paddington, NSW, in 1925. He was a member of the Australian Air League as a youth, and enlisted in the RAAF as soon as he reached the age of 18 in 1943. As number 432779, he underwent aircrew training as a wireless operator / air gunner, but was killed in April 1945, when he and the remainder of his crew, who were undergoing final training on Halifax aircraft with 1652 Conversion Unit at Marston Moor, Yorkshire, were lost over the North Sea.