WALLACH, Clarence
| Service Number: | 706 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 19th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bondi, NSW, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 22 April 1918, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Etretat Churchyard Extension Etretat Churchyard Extension, Etretat, Le Havre, Haute-Normandie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Sydney Grammar School WW1 Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 706, 19th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: Name incorrectly spelled 'Wallack' on original record. | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 706, 19th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 22 Apr 1918: | Involvement Captain, 706, 19th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 706 awm_unit: 19 Battalion awm_rank: Captain awm_died_date: 1918-04-22 |
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Clarence "Clarrie" Wallach was born November 1889 in Bondi. Playing rugby throughout his life, Clarrie played for the Wallabies international team between 1913 and 1914.
He played his first international matches in New Zealand and represented for the first time in a match in Wellington. He played in the last match between the Wallabies and the All Blacks before the war on 15 August 1914.
During World War One, Wallach enlisted in May 1915 with four of his brothers.
He fought at Gallipoli before moving to the Western Front. He took part in the Battle of Pozières in August 1916, where his actions earned him the Military Cross.
He was lucky enough to follow the Australian forces rugby team to England in December 1917, where he played his last match.
In 1918, Wallach, now a Captain and company commander, took part in an attack near Hangard Wood on 7 April. Although there were no bombing raids planned, he led his men across an open area towards the wood. German machine-gunners opened fire and Wallach was wounded in both legs. As gangrene set in, the doctors amputated his left leg, then his right: smiling despite everything, he said to the Padre "Padre, I'm happy to have lived my life like this, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It was worth it."
Despite efforts to save him, Wallach's condition deteriorated, and he died at the age of 28 on 22 April 1918.
He now lies in Étretat Churchyard Extension, France.
entry from Commonwealth War Graves Commission Facebook 17/9/2023
Click images to start slideshow.