Current Information:

Age-28

20, Silverlock Street, Rotherhithe

The Battle of the Somme (July-November, 1916)

By the beginning of September, 1916,  the Battle of the Somme had been raging for two months. Thousands of men had already been killed or wounded or were simply missing, never to be seen again and and just a few square miles of the French countryside, all in the southern part of the battlefield, had been captured from the enemy. Mistakes had been made by the various commanders and would be continued to be made but there was no turning back as the British, Australians, South Africans, New Zealanders and Canadians carried on battering away at the German defences in the hope of a breakthrough, So it continued all the way through to November with nearly every battalion and division then in France being drawn into it at some stage. In the end the German trenches had been pushed back a few more miles along most of the line but the cost in lives had been staggering. By the end of the fighting in November, 1916, British Army casualties numbered over 400,000, killed, wounded and missing.

On 1st July, 1916, 56th (London) Division, which included 2nd London of 169 Brigade, had been heavily involved during the opening day of the Battle of the Somme when they attacked the German defences at Gommecourt on the northern edge of the battlefield. They remained in that sector until they moved south, to where the battle was raging, at the beginning of September.

When the village of Ginchy was attacked and captured by 16th Division on 9th September, 56th Division had the task of forming a defensive flank on the right along the Combles ravine and as part of that operation, the 5th and 9th London battalions of 169 Brigade attacked Leuze Wood. On the following morning, 10th September, 16th London resumed the attack here but without success and at great loss. That afternoon ‘A’ company of the 2nd London battalion moved up from reserve to add their weight to a further attack by 16th London which followed a bombardment of the enemy positions by Stokes mortar. 2nd London were tasked with bombing up Combles Trench to Loop Trench. They nearly made it but lost all their officers and eventually were forced to  withdraw. That evening with the threat of a German counter attack, ‘B’ Company moved up to Leuzenake Trench but just before they set off a shell hit Company HQ, causing a number of casualties. Both companies were relieved that night and moved back to the Citadel. Among the casualties suffered by 2nd London on 10th September was William Clark.