CLARKE, Geoffrey James
| Service Number: | N130769 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 August 1940, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 58/59 (amalgamated) Infantry Battalion AMF |
| Born: | Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, 18 February 1916 |
| Home Town: | Wagga Wagga, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Wagga Wagga Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Hairdresser |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Pacific Islands, 6 June 1945, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea Plot C1, Row b, Grave 17 Roll of Honour Wagga Wagga |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Wagga Wagga Cenotaph |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Private, N130769 | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Wagga Wagga, New South Wales | |
| 12 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, N130769, 58/59 (amalgamated) Infantry Battalion AMF | |
| 6 Jun 1945: | Wounded Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, N130769, 58/59 (amalgamated) Infantry Battalion AMF, Bougainville, Killed in Action - Private Geoffrey Clarke was killed while attacking a Japanese position on the banks of the Hari River, Bougainville. He was buried at Mamagota Junction beneath a temporary cross and reburied at Port Moresby War Cemetery on 27 August 1945 |
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58/59 Bzttalion
Rank - Private
Son of James and Margaret Winnifred Clarke, of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Biography contributed by Ant McLean
Geoffrey "George" James Clarke
On 6 June 1945 Private George Clarke was killed while attacking a Japanese position on the banks of the Hari River, on Bougainville.
George was a Militia soldier from Wagga Wagga and had been a hairdresser before he was called up.
He was buried at Mamagota Junction beneath a temporary cross made from bush timber and the lid of a biscuit tin. His mates were not even sure how to spell his name.
George Clarke was reburied in Port Moresby War Cemetery on 27 August 1945.
The cross and biscuit tin grave marker made by George's mates is now on display inside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Geoffrey James Clarke was just one of 1,219 Australians killed in the island campaigns.
Courtesy Australia War Memorial
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