Leo Clarke
Encyclopedia
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(December 1, 1892 – October 19, 1916) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Early life
Clarke was born in Waterdown, OntarioWaterdown, Ontario
Waterdown is a town in Canada which since 2001 has been a community of Hamilton, Ontario.On January 1, 2001 the new city of Hamilton was formed from the amalgamation of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth and its six municipalities: Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Glanbrook,...
. He spent his early years in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, home of his parents, but later returned and settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba in about 1903. When World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
started, he was working as a surveyor for the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
in the Canadian north. He returned to Winnipeg to enlist in the 27th Battalion, and after arriving in England in June 1915, transferred to the 2nd (Eastern Ontario Regiment) Battalion
2nd (Eastern Ontario Regiment) Battalion, CEF
The 2nd Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force was created in response to the First World War. The battalion comprised local militia in many regions of Ontario . Men came from as far away as Sault Ste. Marie to join in Canada’s military endeavor...
, Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
to be with his brother, Charles.
Victoria Cross
Battle of Flers-Courcelette
The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, was a battle within the Franco-British Somme Offensive which took place in the summer and autumn of 1916. Launched on the 15th of September 1916 the battle went on for one week. Flers-Courcelette began with the overall objective of cutting a hole in the German...
was scheduled for September 15, 1916. Its objective was to occupy a chain of trenches between Martinpuich
Martinpuich
Martinpuich is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Martinpuich is situated south of Arras, near the junction of the D929 and the D6 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:...
and Courcelette
Courcelette
Courcelette is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Courcelette is situated on the D929 and D107 crossroads, some northeast of Amiens.-History:...
. On September 1, 1916, Clarke's battalion was charged with capturing a 50-yard-long salient
Salient
Salient may refer to:* See Salients, re-entrants and pockets for the battlefield feature* Salient , part of a discrete territory projecting out of the main portion, bordered by foreign territory on three sides, into which it projects...
between the Canadian position at Mouquet Farm and Courcelette to the north.
On September 9, 1916, near Pozieres
Pozières
Pozières is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated on the D929 road, some northeast of Amiens between Albert and Bapaume, on the Pozières ridge.-Population:-History:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the first three companies of Clarke's battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
went over the top, leaving the fourth in reserve. Clarke, an Acting Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
at the time, was assigned to take a section
Section (military unit)
A section is a small military unit in some armies. In many armies, it is a squad of seven to twelve soldiers. However in France and armies based on the French model, it is the sub-division of a company .-Australian Army:...
to clear the enemy on the left flank to allow his company sergeant to build a fortified dugout that would secure the Canadian position once the salient was overrun. When his section reached the trench, it was so heavily defended that they had to battle their way through with hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s, bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
s and their rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s as clubs. Clarke was the only man left standing; the rest had either been killed or wounded.
At that time, about 20 Germans, including two officers, counter-attacked. Clarke advanced, emptying his revolver into them. He then picked up two enemy rifles and fired those too. One of the officers attacked with a bayonet, wounding Clarke in the leg, but Clarke shot him dead. The Germans retreated, but Clarke pursued, shooting four more and capturing a fifth. In all, Clarke killed 19 of the enemy, capturing one.
Death
Regina Trench
The Regina Trench was a German trench dug into the top of the slope of a valley running from northwest of the village of Le Sars in a southwest direction almost to the German fortifications at Thiepval on the Somme Battlefield...
which was still under heavy enemy artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
fire. Clarke was crouching in a hole at the rear of a trench when a shell exploded and the back of the trench caved in, burying him. His brother dug him out, but Clarke was paralyzed; the weight of the earth had crushed his back and injured his spine. Clarke was taken to No. 1 General Hospital, but died on October 19. He is buried in Plot II, Row C, Grave 3A, in Etretat Churchyard, 16 miles north of Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. According to a contemporary newspaper article, shortly before his death he wrote his parents, stating: "I don't care so much for the V.C. as getting home for a couple of months."
Legacy
Clarke was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross in the spring of 1917. It was presented, by the Duke of Devonshire (Governor General of Canada in 1917), to Leo's father before a crowd of 30,000. This was the first time the VC had been presented to a commonwealth recipient in his own country.In 1925, Pine Street in Winnipeg was renamed "Valour Road
Valour Road
Valour Road is a street in the West End of Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was originally called Pine Street. In 1925, it was renamed as Valour Road in recognition of the courage of three young men who all lived on the 700 block of the street and all served in the First World War...
" in honor of Clarke and fellow Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
winners Frederick William Hall
Frederick William Hall
Frederick William Hall, VC was an Irish-born soldier in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy", during the First World War....
and Robert Shankland
Robert Shankland
Robert Shankland VC, DCM was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, all of whom lived on the 700 block.
A plaque in his honor was erected by the Ontario Heritage Foundation at the Royal Canadian Legion
Royal Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
branch in Waterdown
Waterdown, Ontario
Waterdown is a town in Canada which since 2001 has been a community of Hamilton, Ontario.On January 1, 2001 the new city of Hamilton was formed from the amalgamation of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth and its six municipalities: Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Glanbrook,...
.
Clarke's story was featured in a Historica vignette, which was run nationally in Canada.
External links
- LEO CLARKE (service/personal details, citation, relevant documents, burial information)
- Historica vignette
- Legion Magazine article on Leo Clarke
- Find-A-Grave profile for Leo Clarke
- Ontario Historic Plaque