The Harrower Collection
Return to home page Return to 34th Battalion page
Born: 25th April 1875. Willoughby, New South Wales, Australia. Birth Cert:5948/1875
Died: 12th October 1917. Killed in Action Passchendaele, Belgium.
Father: Mordaunt William Shipley Clarke.
Mother: Georgina Alice Clarke. nee..
Gother Robert Carlyle Clarke enlisted with Head Quarter Company 34th Battalion AIF on the 14th of March 1916 and was
an original member of the Battalion and left Sydney on board HMAT A20 "Hororata" on the 2nd of May 1916.
Medical Officer 34th Battalion. Wahroonga N.S.W.
(BEAN; History of World War 1 Vol IV page 927)
Major: Gother Robert Carlyle CLARKE, R.M.O. 34th Battalion. For Conpicuous bravery and devotion to
duty. Battle of YPRES (phase 5) 12th October 1917. This Officer established his Regimental Aid Post about 300 yards behind
the jumping off line, a position which unfortunately came in for very heavy shelling in the counter barrage. He and his
personel worked throughout this and absolutely disregarding all danger he attended to the wounded out in the open exposed as
he was to this bombardment. His personnel soon became reduced and with the utmost disregard of danger he continued to treat
the increasing number of cases brought to the Regimental Aid Post. He continued with this gallant work until he himself at
about 9:00am was Killed Outright by a High Explosive Shell.
21st March 1918
Informant; Private: 1452 James Justin McCarthy 34th Battalion, detatched
to the 9th Field Ambulance. Major: CLARKE is buried at HAMBURG HOUSE on the
ZONNEBEKE RIDGE just outside the pill box used as the Regimental Aid Post, no cross was erected up
to 6 weeks after his death, too far up in the line and impossible to put a cross there when
Captain: James STEWART of A Company buried Major: CLARKE. He was my Medical Officer, all
though I was in Maitland Camp with him.
Hut 21 WESTHAM, England.
Gother was a single 41 year old Medical Practitioner from Lane Cove Road, Wahroonga, N.S.W. upon enlistment. His parents lived
at Braithwaite Road, North Sydney.
Mordaunt and Georgina Clarke had 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls. Blanche Mabel Alice Clarke
born 1870 at Willoughby, N.S.W. Birth Cert:5266/1870 and married David Davies in 1895 at Willoughby,
N.S.W. Marriage Cert:7672/1895 and died in 1948 at Willoughby, N.S.W. Death Cert:25699/1848.
William Braithwaite Clarke born 1873 at Willoughby, N.S.W. Birth Cert:5720/1873 and died in
1952 at Willoughby, N.S.W. Death Cert:1691. Gother Robert Carlisle Clarke born 1875 at Willoughby,
N.S.W. Birth Cert:5948/1875 and died on the 12th October 1917. Killed in Action
Passchendaele, Belgium. Mordaunt Linday Clarke born 1878 at Willoughby,
N.S.W. Birth Cert:7046/1878 and died in 1960 at Manly, N.S.W. Death Cert:13147/1960.(Twins)
Nelly M Clarke born 1882 at Willoughby, N.S.W. Birth Cert:9360/1882. Nora M Clarke
born 1880 at Willoughby, N.S.W. Birth Cert:9361/1882 and died in 1889 at Willoughby, N.S.W.
Death Cert:6083/1889.
(Australian National Archives)
Under Construction 17/01/2008
Web Counter