Année de naissance: 1887

Lieu de naissance: Llandaff, Glamorgan, Pays de Galles, Royaume-Uni

Profession: Mineur de charbon

Pays: Angleterre, Royaume-Uni

Force armée: British Expeditionary Force

Rang: Bombardier

Numéro de service: 13455

Incorporation nom de lieu: Abertridwr, Caerphilly, Pays de Galles, Royaume-Uni

Unités:  —  Royal Field Artillery, 77th Bde.  (Dernière unité connue)

Date de décès: 12/10/1917

Lieu de décès: The Cockcroft, Keerselare, Belgique

Cause du décès: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Âge: 30

British War Medal Médaille

Victory Medal Médaille

Bombardier William Clarke served with the Royal Field Artillery 77th Army Brigade. The 77th Army Brigade participated during the month of October 1917 in the Battles of Broodseinde, on the 4th of October, the Battle of Poelcapelle, on the 9th of October, and the First Battle of Passchendaele, on the 12th of October 1917.
The Batteries of the 77th Army Brigade moved forward after the Battle of Broodseinde and were positioned along the Keerselare - Poelcapelle road, in the morning of the 6th of October 1917. The going was extremely hard, due to the bad weather and the muddy terrain. Notwithstanding the bad conditions of the roads, the 77th Army Brigade, managed to get its guns in position on the 7th of October, except for the Howitzers. Ammunition was brought to the Batteries, while they prepared for the attack on the 9th.
Once the batteries were in position, it became clear that the guns in the environment were too exposed. Consequently the Brigade was heavily shelled on the 8th of October. The next day the 77th Artillery Brigade supported the advance of the 11th Division towards the village of Poelcapelle, but the attack was unsuccessful and the men of the 11th Division had to withdraw to their jump off line. During the following day the Germans were anxious. Their artillery was very active on the road and in the back areas, in order to disturb the supply of ammunition and fresh troops. On the 11th the German artillery shelled the position of the 77th Army Brigade’s “D” Battery.
At zero hour, 5.25 a.m. on the 12th of October all hell broke loose. The 77th Army Brigade put down a creeping barrage, behind which the 18th Division had to advance towards Poelcapelle. The German artillery responded by shelling the Cockcroft area.
At 9.50 a.m. it was reported that the first objective on the 18th Division’s right was captured. All batteries opened fire at 12.18 p.m. on protective barrage lines, in order to safeguard the infantry’s gains. The Batteries stopped firing at 1 p.m. as the attack halted. The remainder of the day was uneventful.
In spite of the bad weather, on top of the boggy and shell littered terrain, the attack had made some progress. And the troops of the 18th Division consolidated a line in the eastern outskirts of Poelcapelle, from the Brewery to Meunier House. The Brigade suffered a total of nineteen casualties, during the day. Fourteen men were wounded and five men were killed. Bombardier William Clarke was one of them. He was presumably killed by German shelling, while manning his gun. He died in the Keerselare area, possibly near The Cockroft. Bombardier William Clarke was buried at Minty Farm Cemetery, in the village of Sint-Jan.

"The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995, pg. 113-119. Sources utilisées

Army Troops 77 Army Field Artillery Brigade, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/203/5). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Autre référence

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/447288

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=23fe7f2d-6a35-45fa-9d93-bfb582e6c8e2

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/842571