Cpl 15652 Robert Henry Clarke

• Age: 21
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Guillemont Rd Cem
  Panel Ref: II.N.5

Robert Henry Clarke was born in Liverpool on 5th November 1894 the eldest child of Robert and Margaret Clarke. Robert and Margaret married on 11th December 1892 in St Silas' Church in Dingle, Liverpool. At the time of Robert Henry’s baptism at St Silas' on 09th December 1894, the family lived at 13 Dingle Grove and Robert senior is recorded as a vault foreman.

By the 1901 census they were living at 1 Modred Street, Robert aged 6, now had two younger brothers William Edward, and John Stanley and a baby sister Margaret Agnes. Robert senior’s occupation is a bonded wine and spirits warehouseman. Also in the household is his uncle William Porter aged 24 and a porter.

Robert enrolled in Newsham School in 1903 when he was 8, having previously attended St. Philomon, the family were resident at 219 Kensington at that time. 

By 1911 the family are living at 33 Moses Street, Robert senior, aged 42, is still a bonded warehouse keeper in the wines and spirits industry, his mother is 39. They have had six children, four of whom have survived. Robert Henry is 16 years old and is working as a clerk for a ship owner, his 14 year old brother William is also working as a clerk for a forwarding agent. 13 year old John and 10 year old Margaret Agnes are at school. Thomas Herbert was born in 1903 and sadly died in 1909.

Another child, Olive, was born later in 1911.

Robert Henry Clarke enlisted on the 31st August 1914 at Liverpool joining the 17th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private 15652. He gave his age as 19 years and 270 days old and gave his occupation as a clerk. He was described as being five foot nine and half inches stall, weighed 138lbs, dark complexion, hazel eyes, brown hair and gave his religion as Church of England. By the time he enlisted, the family had moved, as he gave as next of kin his parents at 7 Menzies Street, Dingle, Liverpool.

He was billeted at Prescot Watch Factory from 14^th September 1914, he trained there and also at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 17th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. Thereafter, the battalion moved to Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain in September 1915. He did not sail with his battalion to France on 07th November 1915 but instead returned to Knowsley on 20th November 1915 and was posted to the 21st (Reserve) Bn.

05.12.14: Appointed unpaid Lance Corporal.

03.4.15: Appointed paid Lance Corporal.

20.11.15-16.12.15: Knowsley Park, Prescot.

02.12.15: Promoted to Corporal.

16.12.15: Posted to 17th Battalion and overseas to France.

17.12.15: At Etaples joined 30th Infantry Base Depot.

31.12.15: Joined 2nd Entrenching Bn, 2nd Army.

29.5.16 Rejoined 17th Bn.

03.6.16: Neglect of duty as an N.C.O. for allowing a man to smoke during manoeuvres. Received a reprimand.

He was serving Corporal 15652 when he killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 21, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

17th Battalion Diary 30th July 1916

The Battalion was in support to 19 & 20 Battalions K.L.R. 2 Coys. behind 19th & 2 Coys. behind 20th. Very thick mist. The attack was pushed home to the objective in places but in the main was held up by machine gun fire from hidden machine guns.

Fighting continued all day swaying backwards and forwards until by 6pm about 300 yards in depth had been gained & consolidated all along our front.

Casualties in the 17th Battalion were 15 Officers and 281 Other Ranks

Further details are reported in more detailed by Everard Wyrall in his book The History of the King’s Regiment (Liverpool) 1914-1919 Volume II 1916-1917

The 17th King’s had advanced (two companies each behind the 19th and 20th Battalions) in small columns. They too suffered heavily from machine-gun fire and were quickly absorbed into the waves that preceded them. They also shared the gains and losses of that terrible day.

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55th Division during the early hours of the 31st July. 

The events of 30th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.    

He was buried close to where he fell and after the war when the graves were concentrated he was reburied and now rests at Guillemont Road Cemetery, France. The inscription on his headstone reads:

"THEY WERE A WALL UNTO US BOTH BY DAY AND NIGHT AND WE WERE NOT HURT"

This is a biblical reference taken from 1 Samuel 25:16   

Guillemont was an important point in the German defences at the beginning of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. It was taken by the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on 30 July but the battalion was obliged to fall back, and it was again entered for a short time by the 55th (West Lancashire) Division on 8 August. On 18 August, the village was reached by the 2nd Division, and on 3 September (in the Battle of Guillemont) it was captured and cleared by the 20th (Light) and part of the 16th (Irish) Divisions. It was lost in March 1918 during the German advance, but retaken on 29 August by the 18th and 38th (Welsh) Divisions.

The cemetery was begun by fighting units (mainly of the Guards Division) and field ambulances after the Battle of Guillemont, and was closed in March 1917, when it contained 121 burials. It was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves (almost all of July-September 1916) were brought in from the battlefields immediately surrounding the village and certain smaller cemeteries, including:-

HARDECOURT FRENCH MILITARY CEMETERY. The village of Hardecourt-au-Bois was captured by French troops on the 8th July 1916, and again by the 58th (London) and 12th (Eastern) Divisions on 28 August 1918. Five British Artillerymen were buried by their unit in the French Military Cemetery, in the middle of the village, in September 1916; and in 1918 the 12th Division buried in the same cemetery 14 men of the 9th Royal Fusiliers and two of the 7th Royal Sussex.

Guillemont Road Cemetery now contains 2,263 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 1,523 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to eight casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker.

His outstanding Army pay and a War Gratuity of £9-10s went to his father Robert.  His mother was awarded a pension of 13/6d a week from April 1917, later increased.

In 1919 his parents were still at 7 Menzies Street with William, 23, John, 21, Margaret, 18, and Olive, 8.

In the 1920s his parents moved to 21 Garswood Street, where they remained until their deaths. His father saw the end of World War Two in Europe and died in May 1945 aged 76, and his mother lived to the age of 87 and died in 1959.

Robert  is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 11 Right 

Cunard Memorial now housed in St Nicholas' Church, Liverpool 

We currently have no further information on Robert Henry Clarke, if you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.