CLERKE, Arthur George
| Service Number: | 1830 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 April 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 40th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Sheffield, Tasmania, Australia, 16 March 1896 |
| Home Town: | Wilmot, Kentish, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | The Friends School, Tasmania, Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 3 January 1917, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres Plot IV, Row C, Grave No. 27. TILL WE MEET AGAIN |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Kentish Municipality Honour Roll Mural, North Hobart Friends' School Honour Roll, Sheffield War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Apr 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1830, 40th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 1830, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 1830, 40th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Hobart | |
| 3 Jan 1917: | Involvement Sergeant, 1830, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1830 awm_unit: 40th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1917-01-03 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Sergeant Arthur John Clerke was killed in action on 3 January 1917, along with three other men when a very heavy minenwerfer shell hit the section of trench they were in. According to his Red Cross Wounded and Missing file and the 40th Battalion history, the bodies were actually blown out of the trench and well into No-Mans Land. The bodies were not discovered until several days later, and Arthur was then buried in the Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery close to Armentieres.
The Australian Comfort Fund, amongst other activities, also ran small canteens near the front lines that served food supplies and provided other items such as primus stoves, clothes, sporting equipment, games, newspapers and magazines.
The Australian Comfort Fund in Armentieres was run by Captain Thomas John Clerke, Arthur’s father. It was noted in Arthur’s Red Cross file that his father wrote, “I had a sorrowful day today as I went out and had a last look at my boy, and attended the burial service.”
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