Branch of Service

Army

Conflict

World War I (1914-1918)

Date of Enlistment

04/09/1915

Date of Discharge

09/07/1919

Place of Enlistment

Holsworthy NSW

Gender

Male

Place of Birth

Birmingham, England

Address (at enlistment)

Tharwa ACT (c/o Mrs E McKay, Louisa Street, Auburn, Sydney, New South Wales on Embarkation Roll)

Occupation

Carpenter

Next of Kin

Agnes Rustin (sister), Gudgenby ACT

Service Number

3704

Final Rank

Lance Corporal

Final Unit

1 Battalion AIF

Clarkson was born in Birmingham in 1880 and was a carpenter by trade. His sister Agnes was married to Jack Rustin (who also served in World War 1) and lived in the Tharwa district. Clarkson is recorded as working with his brother-in-law in the Gudgenby area before the war.

He enlisted on 20 September 1915 at Holsworthy, arriving in France in March 1916 with the 12th reinforcements for the 1st Battalion. He received a gun shot wound to his nose at Mouquet Farm and was transferred to hospital in England for treatment. He went AWL for five days before returning to France and rejoining the 1st Battalion in February 1917. His unit seized Demicourt in April and in September he was in action near Ypres where he received multiple gun shot wounds and then was appointed as a Lance Corporal in October. He was gassed near Messines, Belgium in March 1918 but returned to his unit in July. A few days later he was wounded for a fourth time, shot in the shoulder near Merris in France. He did not rejoin the 1st Battalion until October 1918 and returned to Australia in May 1919. He was discharged on 9 July 1919 after returning to Australia. Clarkson lived in Sydney after the war and died there on 4 September 1936.

Description - height 5 feet 7 inches, weight 128 pounds, dark complexion, brown eyes, dark hair, Church of England.

Queanbeyan Age - 12 April 1918
Sydney Morning Herald - 5 September 1936
NAA RecordSearch - Series B2455 (First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920)