CLARKE, James
| Service Number: | 2550 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 August 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 41st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | St George, Queensland, Australia, 7 July 1879 |
| Home Town: | Charleville, Murweh, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Drover |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 17 July 1954, aged 75 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 8 |
| Memorials: | St George Memorial Wall - We Remember Their Sacrifice |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Aug 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2550, 41st Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 2550, 41st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Kyarra embarkation_ship_number: A55 public_note: '' | |
| 17 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 2550, 41st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Kyarra, Brisbane | |
| 21 May 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2550, 41st Infantry Battalion, 1st MD, medically discharged, wounding |
Help us honour James Clarke's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Australian World War One veteran Private James Clarke (Service No. 2550), is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with plaques in recognition of their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 23 September 2023, along with a further 300 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
James Clarke was born on 7 July 1879 at St George, Queensland, to James Clarke and Mary Clarke, née Higgins. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Charleville, Queensland, on 21 August 1916. At the time of enlistment, he was aged 37, single, working as a drover, and gave his address as Minandra, Charleville, Queensland. He nominated his mother, Mrs Mary Clarke, of Perth Street, Toowoomba, Queensland, as his next of kin.
Private Clarke was allotted to the 41st Battalion, 5th Reinforcements. He embarked from Brisbane aboard HMAT Kyarra on 17 November 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth, England, on 30 January 1917. During the voyage, he spent time in the ship’s hospital, and in April 1917 he was admitted to Fargo Military Hospital, Larkhill, Salisbury Plain, with mumps. After training in England, he proceeded overseas to France from Southampton in June 1917 and joined the 41st Battalion in the field in July 1917.
In October 1917, Private Clarke was wounded in action, sustaining a severe gunshot wound to the left buttock. He was evacuated from France to England and admitted to the 2nd Southern General Hospital at Bristol on 22 October 1917. Due to his wound, he was returned to Australia aboard Hospital Ship Argyllshire, arriving on 31 January 1918. He was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 21 May 1918.
Following his return to Australia, James Clarke settled in Toowoomba, Queensland. On 19 June 1918, shortly after his discharge from the Australian Imperial Force, he married Bridget Maria Lee.
James Clarke died on 17 July 1954, aged 75, and was buried three days later in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia, ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice.
His identity and dignity have now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget
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