Name
Herbert Arthur Clark
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
13/12/1918
22
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
T4/110424
Army Service Corps
No. 1 Heavy Repair Shop
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ST. CLOUD COMMUNAL CEMETERY
Plot H, Row 13, Grave 179.
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Watford Borough Roll of Honour, Not on the Elstree memorials
Pre War
Herbert was the son of Nathaniel and Jane Elizabeth (nee Payne) Clark.
His parents married 10 December 1883 at St Matthew’s, Oxhey, Herts. Jane died 1944 in Watford aged 84, and was buried 3 April in Vicarage Road Cemetery, Watford; Nathaniel died 1949 in Wealdstone, Middx, aged 90, and was buried 1 December, also in Vicarage Road Cemetery.
Herbert was born 13 April 1896 in Elstree, Herts, and baptised 29 April 1896 at St Andrew’s, Watford.
He attended Victoria Junior School, Watford; then Beechen Grove Board School, Watford, from 8 January 1907 to 1 March 1909.
On the 1901 Census, aged 4 he lived in Watford, with his parents and six siblings.
On the 1911 Census, at school aged 14, he still lived in Watford, at 57 Pretoria Road, with his father, who was an unemployed coachman, and four siblings. However, by August 1914 his parents were living at Roselea House, Croxley Green and they were still there when Herbert enlisted in 1915. They subsequently moved to 332 Whippendell Road, Watford.
Recorded as enlisting in Watford.
Wartime Service
He enlisted 4 June 1915 in Watford for Short Service: a labourer aged 19, 5’5″ tall, unmarried, of Croxley Green, Herts. He served at Home from 4 to 24 June 1915 and embarked aboard SS Queen Alexandra from Southampton 25 June 1915.
Served in France 25 June 1915 to 29 April 1917, on leave 30 April to 9 May 1917, back to France from 10 May 1917 until his death at the 8th Canadian General Hospital, St Cloud, near Paris, of broncho-pneumonia and influenza.
Additional Information
There is an article about and a Death announcement for Herbert in the West Herts and Watford Observer dated 21 December 1918. Herbert’s older brother Frederick was also killed in the war. The army paid his father £28 1s 11d including a war gratuity of £20 10s. Both Frederick and Herbert are listed on the shrine at All Saints’ Croxley Green but only Frederick is marked as killed. He does not appear to have an entry in Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919.
Acknowledgments
Croxley Green History Project, Brian Thomson, Sue Carter (Research) and Watford Museum (ROH on line via www.ourwatfordhistory.org.uk)
