Name
Victor Horace Verdon Clark
22 December 1892
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
12/01/1916
23
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
10141
Wiltshire Regiment
1st Bn
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
PLOEGSTEERT WOOD MILITARY CEMETERY
I. D. 2.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD
UK & Other Memorials
St John the Evangelist Church Memorial, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial
Pre War
Victor Horace Verdon Clark was born on 22 December 1892 in Marylebone, London, the son of John and Mary Ann Clark, and baptised on 23 August 1896 at St Mary, Lambeth, London alongside his brother Frank who was born on 19 September 1885. They were then living at 51 Newport Street, Lambeth and his father was working as a labourer. Victor was one of seven children.
They remained at Newport Street on the 1901 Census, but his father was then working as a window cleaning contractor. By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 15 York Street, Covent Garden, London and Victor was then working as a compositor's apprentice.
His parents later lived at Bungalow Lodge, Box Lane, Boxmoor and 5 Grosvenor Terrace, Boxmoor, Herts and had moved back to London by 1919.
Wartime Service
He enlisted at Marylebone, London in September 1914 and served with the 1st Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment in France from 11 December 1914 after basic training in Weymouth, Dorset.
Victor saw his first action during the winter operations of 1914 and early 15 and then the attack at Bellewaarde and the actions near Hooge in September 1915.
Although some records state that he was killed in action on 12 January 1916, the battalion war diary for the day recorded that a large party was required for work in the evening in trench 121 and a machine gun opened fire from an enemy trench. There were four casualties, one was killed and three were wounded. Privates Hall and Clark later died of their wounds.
Victor, who was 23 years old, is buried at Ploegsteert Wood Military Cemetery, Belgium.
Additional Information
N.B. the surname Clark is spelt without the 'e' on Boxmoor memorial and with the 'e' on Hemel Hempstead Memorial. It is generally written as Clark without an 'e' on military records. His mother, Mrs M A Clark, 5 Grosvenor Terrace, Boxmoor, Herts., ordered his headstone inscription: "BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD". A war gratuity of £5 10s and pay owing of £2 16s 8d was divided between his mother and his brother William. His mother also received a pension of 5 shillings a week. His brother Frank John Verdon Clark died on 29 October 1919 of alcoholic poisoning whilst on active service with the 119th Coy Labour Corps. Reg. No 698951, having been transferred from the 47th Labour Coy, R.E. (275919), and is buried at Tincourt New British Cemetery, France.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
www.dacorumheritage.org.uk, www.hemelatwar.org., www.hemelheroes.com
