A Welch Ridge Battle of Cambrai Military Cross recipients British War Medal awarded to Second Lieutenant A.V. Clark, 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment who would be decorated for his gallantry at Welch Ridge on 30th December 1917 when four advanced posts were heavily shelled and attacked by the enemy, he moved about over the open ground encouraging the men and organising the defence, his example materially helped to hold up the enemy’s attack. The Military Cross would be announced in the London Gazette of 1st March 1918, however Clark would not live to receive it, dying of wounds on 2nd January 1918 during a German Mustard Gas attack. He is now is buried in Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt.
British War Medal 1914-1919; (2. LIEUT. A.V. CLARK.)
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine
Albert Victor Clark initially served as a Private (No. 1322) with the 1st/6th (West Ham) Battalion, East Regiment (Territorial Force) naming his father as Mr. H.E. Clark of 29 Langton Avenue, East Ham, London and having spent the winter of 1914-1915 at home, sailed for Gallipoli on 14th July 1915 landing at Lemnos in the Balkans on 24th July 1915. After further training they would make the voyage to Gallipoli where they landed at Suvla Bay on 10th August 1915.
At Suvla Bay they took part in the ill fated landing of General Stopford’s IX Corps. They landed, dug in and waited for orders that were many hours in coming. They then fought to take the high ground, but by this time the Turks had re-occupied it and mowed down any attackers. Their ‘sister Division, the 53rd were all but destroyed within two days of landing.
Later, Clark appears in England which would indicate Clark was wounded at Gallipoli and sent back directly to England for treatment. He would subsequently be posted to the Middlesex Regiment as a Private (No. G/34319), and it is possible he saw service with them on the Somme during 1916.
Albert would come to notice during the righting of early 1917 and was sent for Officer training in the late spring, being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the 5th (Reserve) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment at Chatham on 31st July 1917 and attached to 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, part of 190th Brigade, 63rd Royal Naval Division for service on the Western Front.
He led his platoon in action for the first time in the attempt to capture the ‘Bellevue Spur’ at Passchendaele on 26th October 1917. The conditions were appalling in the heavy rain and the 63rd Division had 3,126 casualties between 26-31st October, however Clark was not amongst them.
The Royal Naval Division would then be withdrawn and would be present at the Battle of Cambrai from 30th November 1917. Here they were tasked with holding a flanking position at Welch Ridge, in the Flesquires Salient. Welch Ridge was located on the flank of the Cambrai battlefield, on high ground. After their success in counter-attacking at Cambrai, the Germans launched an all out attack to recapture Welch Ridge on 30th December 1917, which was being held by 4th Bedfords and 190th Brigade. A desperate hand to hand battle would be fought to fight off the Germans and Second Lieutenant Clark and his platoon were heavily involved. He was in charge of four posts each of several men with rifles and a lewis gun, down the slope into no-man’s-land and some distance ahead of the front line trench. Despite heavy enemy shelling and large scale infantry attacks, he and his men held their ground, him moving from post to post across the open bullet swept hillside rallying his platoon. After the two day battle was over, he was immediately recommended for the award of the Military Cross.
His award of the Military Cross would appear in the London Gazette on 1st March 1918 with the citation appearing on 13th August 1918:
‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. When four advanced posts of which he was in charge were heavily shelled and attacked by the enemy, he moved about over the open encouraging his men and organising the defence. His courageous example was an inspiration to his men, and materially helped to hold up the enemy’s attack’
However, Clark would not live to see the award of his Military Cross as just a few days after his gallantry on Welch Ridge, on 2nd January 1918 he would be badly gassed and subsequently died of wounds, when the Germans launched a mustard gas attack on his front line trench. There were many casualties, including three officers during this attack. Albert is now buried in Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt.
