No.72991, Private, James William CLARKE
Aged 29
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James William Clarke was born in Soham on 29th November 1889 (Newmarket Q4-1889 3B:532), baptised on 3rd January 1890 in Soham, son of Joseph Arber and Matilda CLARKE (née BROWN), of Hall Street, Soham.
1891 census...Aged 1, he was at Towns End, Soham with his father Joseph A. CLARK [49] farm labourer; his mother Matilda [42]; sister Alice [9]; brothers Philip [18], Harry [17], Giles [15] and Joseph A [11] all farm labourers. The whole family were born in Soham. 1901 census...Aged 11, he was at Granby Terrace, Soham with his parents (father now a coal and forage merchant); sisters Alice and Rachel [7] born in Soham; brothers Philip A (labourer at sewerage works), Harry, Giles and Joseph (all coal and forage merchants, presumable working for father). His father died on 1905. 1911 census...He has not yet been found in the 1911 census. His mother was at 9 Granby Terrace, Hall Street, Soham with married son Harry, Giles still single and Rachel (single). As ever, CLARK is variously with or with the 'E' ending. |
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He enlisted in St Albans. The war diary says the battalion with a strength of 22 officers and 590 other ranks marched from VELU WOOD (south of Havrincourt, which had been taken 3 days earlier) to the line shown on the map below. There they relieved the 2nd/4th Duke of Wellingtons and part of the 20th London Regiment. The general advance was towards Cambrai which was eventually taken in October. No casualties were recorded, but CWGC have James as the only death in the battalion that day. Local press report: Pte. James William Clark, Northumberland Fusiliers, is now officially reported to have been killed in action on Sept.15th. The late Pte. Clark was the youngest son of Mrs. Arthur Clark, of 9 Granby Terrace and was 29 years of age. He enlisted in the A.V.C. in March, 1915, and very soon afterwards was drafted out to Egypt and subsequently Salonika. There he remained until March last, when he was sent to France, returning home on leave a few weeks later. On his return to France he was transferred to the Northumberland Fusiliers, in which regiment he was serving at the time of his death. The sad news was unofficially conveyed to his mother about a fortnight ago. His officer, in a letter to the mother, speaks in glowing terms of the deceased and his loyalty to duty under the most adverse conditions and tenders to her his sympathy. An eye witness writes:"The battalion was going from its resting place into the front line trenches, and when about a couple of miles from its detonation a shell dropped, and he was struck in the face and neck by shrapnel. It was instant death, and he therefore had no pain". Prior to joining up, the late Pte. Clark was in the employ of Lord Hugh Cecil, at Hatfield, in the capacity of coachman.
photo: Rodney Gibson click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |
