PRIVATE 32962 LEONARD WELESBY CLARK, 1/9th BATTALION DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY.


PRIVATE 32962 LEONARD WELESBY CLARK, 1/9th BATTALION DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY. KILLED IN ACTION 31st JULY 1917 AGED 31


Born in the tiny hamlet of Burton Stather in North Lincolnshire in 1887, Leonard Clark was the fifth child of Charles and Sarah Clark. Charles died in 1892 and in about 1899 the family moved to Ilkley where they lived at 30 Wellington Road.


Leonard began his working life as an apprentice baker but by 1914 was working as a labourer at Ilkley Brewery on Railway Road. On 16th November 1912 he married Florence Ambler from Leeds at All Saints Parish Church and set up home at 15 Dean Street.

Leonard was not one of the initial surge of recruits from the town but waited until December 1915 to volunteer for the army and In March the following year was posted to the Durham Light Infantry. He remained in Britain until 10th December 1916 when he arrived in France and on Christmas day of that year joined the 2nd Battalion DLI. Leonard remained with this battalion until March 1917 when he was diagnosed as suffering from shingles and evacuated back to England for treatment and recuperation.

It was not until June 11th 1917 that Leonard was fit enough to return to France where he remained at the depot base at Etaples until posted to the 1/9th DLI who were located near to Arras. Although, the main axis of attacks had shifted north to Ypres the Arras sector was still very active and trench raiding was a frequent occurrence.

On the night of the 30/31st July Leonard was in the front line with his battalion as it suffered frequent attacks from German infantry. Just after midnight the DLI sent out a small patrol led by a young officer and which included Leonard. As the patrol groped about in the dark they came across a group of Germans and a began exchanging fire. The fight was brief but after suffering several casualties the enemy troops retreated. What happened next was described in a letter sent to Leonard's wife by Lieutenant Hall " ...your husband was killed early this morning. He was returning to our lines after carrying out a very successful patrol when he was shot through the head. His death was instantaneous and probably he knew nothing about it." For the loss of her husband Florence Clark received a pension from the War Office of 13 shillings and 9 pence a week

Today Private Leonard Clark lies in the British Military Cemetery at Wancourt and remembered with pride on our war memorial in Ilkley





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