SUCH IS WAR
Charles Clark - 58th Battalion

Born in Warrnambool Victoria in 1873, Charles Clark was the first of nine children born to Charles and Mary Clark (nee Munro). A school teacher by trade, he married Julia Catherine Tucker in 1897, having three children; James, Daniel and Henry. With the outbreak of war Charles decided to do his part despite his advanced age (42) and so enlisted on March 6, 1915 after having already had experience serving as a Lieutenant in the School Cadets.

He was sent to camp at Broadmeadows and embarked from Melbourne for the Middle East as part of the 8 th infantry battalion on the 17 th June 1915 , travelling on the ship Wandilla . After disembarking at Alexandria he went to camp at Heliopolis before undertaking operations on Gallipoli from the 6 th of August near Courtney's Post. After having some rest on Imbros Island from September through November 1915, he returned to action and was wounded near Bolton 's Ridge, rejoining his unit on Christmas Eve 1915.

In January 1916 he left Lemnos for Alexandria onboard the Empress of Britain and proceeded to camp at Tel-El-Kebir where he transferred to the 60 th battalion before changing again to the 58 th infantry battalion where upon he was sent to canal defences near the Ferry Post. In mid March 1916 he left the Middle East for France , arriving in billets near Steenbeque before undertaking operations around Sailly in early July and then the major attacks at Fromelles.

Following the battle of Fromelles he was promoted to Lance Corporal and then to Corporal before travelling to Flers and Guedecourt. In October 1916 he was made Lance Sergeant before falling ill and spending most of the end of 1916 and some of early 1917 at the Field Ambulance and on leave in the UK, whilst there he wrote to his family;

Prior to going on leave I was in the Somme area. We just came out of the front lines before I was granted leave. It is a great relief to get away from the mud and cold of the trenches. Since I last wrote I have been promoted Sergeant. I came over to France as a Private and so received my stripes in the firing line. I don't think I shall see much more fighting as I have been recommended for a post back at the front, being an old Anzac. I have been in some hot corners, but thank god I have escaped injury so far. It makes one's heart bleed to see poor Australians lying dead, sometimes blown to pieces. But such is warfare. It will be a good thing for the world at large when the war ceases. Prior to going to the Somme we spent about four months in the Armentieres area in the north of France . We went over there on19th July last, the whole Division. It was a grand sight to see the boys going, but awful to see the dead and wounded. The Australians go when they are ordered. The Germans do not like us – they say we are devils

Evidently his condition worsened and he was sent to the UK onboard the hospital ship Warilda in March 1917 where he was admitted to the Australian Auxiliary Hospital and Harefield in July 1917 before being sent home to Australia on board the transport ship Pakehaa.

Upon arriving back in Australia he was discharged as medically unfit on the 5 th of December 1917 . He passed away in 1941 and is buried in the Warrnambool Cemetery .

Research notes:

1) Charles' brother, William Munro Clark, served with the AIF and was killed at Villers-Bretonneux while fighting with the 46th battalion.

2) In most of the correspondence Julia is referred to as Catherine. She is buried with her husband in the Warrnambool Cemetery.

3) Charles and Julia's three sons were born in 1898 (James Charles William) 1899 (Daniel Alfred) and 1902 (Henry George).

4) James Charles William Clark also served with the AIF, enlisting in 1917 and serving with the 2 nd machine gun company.

5) Charles Clark is commemorated on the Warrnambool War Memorial.

6) There are biographies and service details for Charles, James and William Clark in Ron Blair and James Affleck's book For King and Country.

Photos:

1) Warrnambool War Memorial, photo from wikipedia.

I would like to thank Ray Welsford, Ron Blair and James Affleck for their help with the information in this listing.