BORN HULL 1895. SON OF CHARLES MARTEN CLARK & ELIZABETH CLARKE, OF 10, CAROLINE PLACE. (HDM ADDRESS, 16/04/1917) AND 25, LEE STREET, HULL (WAR PENSION ADDRESS). SON OF A MASTER FRAME MAKER. HE WORKED FOR MESSRS, GOOD & MENZIES, ENGINEERS. EMPLOYED AS AN APPRENTICE PATTERN MAKER.
HE ENLISTED IN HULL PALS AS PRIVATE, 659, 10TH EAST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT. SERVED IN EGYPT AND FRANCE. WOUNDED IN JUNE 1916. TRANSFERRED AND PROMOTED TO LANCE CORPORAL, IN THE 2ND YORKSHIRE REGIMENT. KILLED AT ARRAS, ON 02/04/1917, AGED 22. COMMEMORATED ON THE ARRAS MEMORIAL. HIS NAME WAS LISTED ON HULL’S CLIFTON STREET SCHOOL MEMORIAL. HIS ARMY EFFECTS WERE LEFT TO HIS FATHER CHARLES. HIS DEATH WAS REPORTED IN THE HULL DAILY MAIL, ON 20/04/1917. *
HIS BROTHER, FRANK WAS SERVING IN FRANCE. HIS BROTHER, BILLY CLARK, 10TH EYR, WAS KILLED THE PREVIOUS MONTH, AT OPPY WOOD ON 03/05/1917. THEY LEFT TWO ELDER SISTERS, ALICE, AND CLARE.
During this action at Gavrelle on 3rd May 1917, the Battalion war diary recorded: ‘At 3.45 a.m. our barrage commenced and the Battalion went forward to the attack, and from information received afterwards, reached the first objective without serious losses. Heavy Artillery and Machine Guns on both sides remained very active, and at 5.30 a.m. no definite information had been received. About this time wounded men were beginning to dribble in, and from their accounts it was obvious that our attack had failed in reaching its second objective, and also in holding the first.’ Things were getting desperate and Battalion Headquarters admin staff were sent forward. The war diary continued:
‘All stragglers were collected and organized, and about 7.30 a.m. 80 men were available in the front line [out of the original attacking strength of 547 all ranks]. There was no touch with Battalions on either left or right, so trenches were blocked, and bombing parties stationed on each flank.’
The attack was stopped by an enemy counter attack and reinforcements were sent forward. However, by the end of the day only three officers returned, all three were wounded. The losses were 4 officers killed and 8 missing; other rank numbers were 15 killed, 122 wounded and 26 missing.
