Current Information:

Age-23

34, Benton's Lane, West Norwood

Born-East Ham

Guizancourt Farm Cemetery, Gouy, France

October 1918 was a month which saw the Allies pushing the Germans back all along the Western Front and liberating towns, villages and whole areas, which had been under German occupation for four long years. At 5.10am on 8 October, 1918, the British launched an offensive on a 20 mile front between St Quentin and Cambrai when three British Armies, backed by 82 tanks, advanced 3 miles and captured 10,000 prisoners and 150 guns. After 24 hours of fighting the Hindenburg Line was overrun in its entirety and the enemy were in full retreat.

The northern limit of Fourth Army was held by 151 Brigade of 50th Division and in order to facilitate the main attack on 8th August, by capturing the last part of the Beaurevoir Line and Villers Farm beyond it, the 1st Yorkshire Light Infantry battalion, supported by the 4th King’s Royal Rifle Corps battalion attacked at 1am, four hours before the main offensive was launched. The objectives were reached and captured and 4th King’s Royal Rifle Corps successfully established a number of posts in the Marliches area. However they were then held up by machine-gun fire as they advanced on Marliches Farm and it is likely that the casualties they suffered occurred at this juncture. One of those killed was Ernest Clarke.