Alexander CLARK

CLARK, Alexander

Service Numbers: 335, 6725
Enlisted: Not yet discovered
Last Rank: Lance Corporal
Last Unit: 9th Infantry Battalion
Born: Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, 1 December 1871
Home Town: Longreach, Longreach, Queensland
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Grazier
Died: Pneumonia, Longreach, Queensland, Australia, 25 July 1936, aged 64 years
Cemetery: Longreach Cemetery, Qld
Memorials:
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Boer War Service

1 Oct 1899: Involvement Private, 335, Queensland Imperial Bushmen
18 May 1900: Embarked Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 335, 4th Queensland Imperial Bushmen, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 475 notes 4th QIB embarked 18 May 1900 aboard Manchester Port arriving Beira 14 Jun 1900.
10 Aug 1901: Discharged Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 335, 4th Queensland Imperial Bushmen, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 477 notes 4th QIB embarked 5 Jul 1901 aboard Britannic returning to Australia arriving Brisbane 5 Aug 1901, disbanded 10 Aug 1901.

World War 1 Service

27 Oct 1916: Embarked Private, 6725, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Marathon, Brisbane
27 Oct 1916: Involvement Private, 6725, 9th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Marathon embarkation_ship_number: A74 public_note: ''
7 May 1917: Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 6725, 9th Infantry Battalion
28 Sep 1917: Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 9th Infantry Battalion
22 Jul 1918: Wounded AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 6725, 9th Infantry Battalion, GSW to thigh
23 Aug 1918: Wounded AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 6725, 9th Infantry Battalion
26 Mar 1919: Discharged AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 6725, 9th Infantry Battalion

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Biography contributed by Claude McKelvey

Alexander Clark was born on 1 Dec 1871 at Rockhampton, Queensland, a son to John Reid Clark and Mary Clark (nee Brock). He served in both the South African (Boer) War and WW1. First service was as a Private S.N. 335 in the 4th Queensland Imperial Bushmen, Boer War. Second service was as a Private rising to Lance Corporal S.N. 6725 in the 9th Infantry Battalion AIF, WW1.

Prior to the Boer War he worked assisting his grazier father at Isla Park near Rockhampton. On his return from the war he returned to working as a stockman in the Richmond area. He married Lily Isabel Rutherford on 29 Dec 1909 and they resided in the Richmond district where he worked as a Stockman eventually taking up and working a selection which he sold prior to enlisting for WW1. On his return he again worked as a Stockman in the Longreach area until acquiring Isla Downs in 1922 which he worked as a grazier up until his death from pneumonia. They had one son.

Ironically, he was incorrectly listed as having died of pneunomia in 1917 while on WW1 service but returned to service only to be wounded in action on 3 separate occasions. His obituary notes he suffered no ill effects as a result of war injuries.

(sources- AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, Murray p. 486; National Archives Australia WW1 servce record; Obituray, The Longreach Leader 1 Aug 1936).

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