CLARK, James Frank
| Service Number: | 7607 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Divisional Signal Company |
| Born: | Camberwell, Victoria, Australia, 28 February 1896 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Telephone Mechanic |
| Died: | Coburg, Victoria, Australia, 11 May 1966, aged 70 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Sep 1915: | Involvement Sapper, 7607, 3rd Divisional Signal Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 1915: | Embarked Sapper, 7607, 3rd Divisional Signal Company, HMAT Ballarat, Melbourne |
James Frank Clark
James Frank Clark was the eldest son of Kate Matt and James Clark. James was working as a telephone mechanic when he enlisted in the A.I.F on the 17th of January 1916 at the tender age of 19 years and 11 months. James had experienced 3 years in the cadets and 18months with the militia, 62nd Infantry or Carlton Rifles as they were commonly known. James was immediately assigned to the 3rd Division Signal Company and sent to the A.I.F signal school in Broadmeadows where he attained the rank of Sapper. The signal companies were tasked with providing communications between headquarters and the divisions subordinate formations. Running and repairing signal cables was a dangerous and demanding job with sappers exposed to artillery and gunfire. By April 1916 he was on his way to Tel-el-Kabir in Egypt where he transferred to the 1st Division Signal Company and by July, he was at Etaples, France and then onto the signal base at Abbeville, 33 miles to the south. Whilst at Abbeville James fell afoul of the authorities and he was found guilty of conduct prejudice to good order and was fined 28 days’ pay by Major J.H Stubbs. In December 1916 he was transferred to the 4th Division Signal Company, and he remained with this unit for the rest of his service.
The 4th Division A.I.F. were positioned on the Somme front line during the winter of 1916-1917, enduring extremely cold and wet conditions. With the onset of spring the German army shortened their front line, withdrawing to fortified positions along the Hindenburg Line. The allied 5th Army of which the 4th Division was assigned advanced on the German positions and the first battle of Bullecourt quickly developed. The division took heavy losses with 3200 killed or injured and another 1700 troops captured. The division was then sent to Belgium in preparation for the third battle of Ypres and was tasked with the assault on Polygon Wood, which was successful. Immediately allied forces prepared for an attack on Passchendaele which began on the 12th of October, and it was during these operations that James was seriously wounded in a gas attack. James was soon evacuated to England and remained there until August 1918 when he re-joined his unit in France. The first months of 1919 seem to have been spent in and out of hospital with a condition called otitis media, which is an inflammatory condition of the middle ear. It was either this condition or problems with his lungs that convinced authorities to invalid James’s home to Australia in April 1919.
Submitted 22 October 2022 by John Morrissey
Biography contributed by John Morrissey
James Frank Clark was the eldest son of Kate Matt and James Clark. James was working as a telephone mechanic when he enlisted in the A.I.F. on 17 January 1916, at the tender age of nineteen years and eleven months. James had spent 3 years in the cadets and 18 months with a militia unit, the 62nd Infantry, or Carlton Rifles, as they were commonly known. James was immediately assigned to the 3rd Division Signal Company and sent to the A.I.F. Signal School in Broadmeadows. After training, he was awarded the rank of sapper. The signal companies were tasked with providing communications between headquarters and the division’s subordinate formations. Running and repairing signal cables was a dangerous and demanding job, and sappers were regularly exposed to artillery and gunfire. By April 1916, he was on his way to Tel-el-Kabir in Egypt, where he transferred to the 1st Division Signal Company, and by July, he was at Etaples, France. The Australian signal base was located at Abbeville, 33 miles south of Etaples. In December 1916, he was transferred to the 4th Division Signal Company, and he remained with this unit for the rest of his service.
The 4th Division was positioned on the Somme front line during the winter of 1916–17, enduring extremely cold and wet conditions. With the onset of spring the German army shortened their front line, withdrawing to fortified positions along the Hindenburg Line. The allied 5th Army, of which the 4th Division was assigned, advanced on the German positions, and the first battle of Bullecourt quickly developed. The division took heavy losses with 3,200 killed or injured, and another 1,700 troops captured. The division was then sent to Belgium in preparation for the third battle of Ypres, and was tasked with the assault on Polygon Wood, which was successful. Immediately allied forces prepared for an attack on Passchendaele, which began on 12 October, and it was during these operations that James was seriously wounded in a gas attack. James was quickly evacuated to England, and remained there until August 1918, when he re-joined his unit in France. The first months of 1919 seem to have been spent in and out of hospital with a condition called otitis media, which is an inflammatory condition of the middle ear. It was either this condition or problems with his lungs that convinced authorities to designate James as an invalid and send him home to Australia in April 1919.
In 1923, James married Marion Myrtle Phillips, and the young couple settled at 16 Suffolk Avenue, Coburg. James worked as a telephone mechanic his entire life. The couple had one daughter, Valda Pearl Clark. James Frank Clark died in 1966, and he is remembered in the Victorian Garden of Remembrance at Springvale Memorial Park.