Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Archibald James Home Clark was born on January 26, 1899 in Mossman, New South Wales, Australia to a working-class family (1). 

Archibald’s early years were likely shaped by his education and family. His father Archibald Clark and his mother Helen Mary Home Clark lived with him in the suburb of Killara, where he grew up as an only child. He displayed average grades at  Sydney Technical High School with varying scores in different subjects, receiving his intermediate certification in 1913 (6), marking the completion of 3 years of high school .He was also registered as a carpenter (7) in his late teens, suggesting he might have been working part time or possibly dropped, as no records after 1913 of his grades or presence in Sydney Technical Highschool could be found (8). Archibald served for 5 years in the Cadets, 19th Bn. before enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force (9). 

Archibald enlisted in the AIF on May 18th, 1918 at the age of 19 regardless of the awareness of the harsh realities of war during the time (10). He left from Melbourne on October 5th, 1918 aboard the ship, SS Zealandic, heading towards Europe (11). He was promoted to Acting Corporal before leaving Australia. By the time Private Archibald was approaching Europe, little did he know that the war was nearing its end. The armistice was signed on November 11th, 1918 (12), just a month after his arrival.

He served in the 57th Battalion and then moved to the 14th training battalion on December 5th 1918 (13) On February 17th, 1919 he transferred to a hospital in England with Bronchitis, a chest infection, before being transferred to another hospital a few days later. He was reported as convalescent at the 11th Stationary Hospital in England on the 28th February 1919 (14). He eft England to return to Australia on November 15, 1919.

Returning to Australia on January 9, 1920, Archibald resumed his civilian life. He married three times: first to Mabel Florence Saldeir, in 1923, with whom he had a son, William James Clark, born in 1924 (17). Tragically, Mabel died in 1924 followed by his son in 1936 at the age of 11 (18). Archibald's second marriage to Penelope Evaline Grace Cleland in 1926 also ended in tragedy when she died in 1951 (19). Finally, Archibald married Violet Olive Cleland in 1954 (20). A notable mention is a letter he sent from 25 Walter St, Killara (which could have been his address at the time) on June 24th 2948 regarding confirmation Archibald was experiencing vascular heart disease back around WW1, which could be related to the Bronchitis he experienced throughout the war (21) in which he wrote, “I am of the opinion that on my Discharge from the 1oh A.I.F in 1920, my medical papers were marked with the fact that i was suffering from “Alight V.D.H” (vascular disease of the heart)”. This could have been to verify information for nation archives recording events during WW1.

Archibald died on June 26, 1965 in Killara (20) and was buried at Burial Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, North Ryde, Ryde City, New South Wales. Throughout his post-war life, Archibald likely returned to carpentry.

Endnotes

Anonymous: The AIF Project 2024, UNSW Canberra
Anonymous: Wikitree
Google Drive, honour board at STHS
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Anonymous: Virtual War Memorial
Ibid
Anonymous: theworldwar.org
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid

Bibliography

https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/228897

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Clark-64173 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15vqskwdn8aV3K2yy9H3CmJvdu8q4txbQ/edit 

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1fabTqfX2BJM14NLfTyxkGzSzEQenTK1- 

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=1966461&isAv=N 

https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=53099 

https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/armistice#:~:text=On%20Nov.,to%20ending%20World%20War%20I.