Henry William Clarke

A Private with 11th Battalion, Henry died on 28th of April 1917 at the age of 35. 

Son of Elizabeth Ruth (Lily) Trudgill (formerly Clarke) and the late Henry William Clarke.

Henry's father died when Henry was quite young and his mother married Edwin Trudgill in 1887. In 1891 the family lived at 80 Mills Road (off Saint Peter's Street), Lowestoft, and by 1901 they lived at Ivy House, Beccles Road. The 1901 Census shows Henry living at 2 Compass Street and working as a house painter apprentice. 

Henry married Elizabeth Eliza Dale at Saint Margaret's Church, Lowestoft, on 19 August 1905. His address was Ivy House, Beccles Road, and he worked as a painter. By 1911 they were living at 94 Beccles Road, Lowestoft. 

Henry served with the Suffolk Regiment. Initially he was with a cyclist battalion, service number 2130, and later he was posted to France and given the service number 43441. The medals rolls show Henry served with the 4th Battalion Suffolk Regiment, but the Army Register of Soldiers' Effects, Soldiers Died in the Great War and Commonwealth War Graves records all show that he was serving with the 11th Battalion when he died. 

On 26 April 1917 the 11th Battalion were at the railway cutting south-west of Fampoux. On 27 April they received orders to prepare for an attack on Rouex the next morning. By 3 a.m. on the 28th they were in position and at 4.25 a.m. a barrage commenced with the battalion beginning the attack at 4.27 a.m. By 5 a.m. the attack was both held up and driven back by heavy machine-gun fire from a trench that had been missed by the preliminary barrage. About half of the battalion had returned to the front line trench and at 9.45 a.m. the Germans made a counter-attack from the direction of Rouex and were able to capture Mount Pleasant Wood and a communication trench called Ceylon Trench. The battalion held the front line and by 10 a.m. had recaptured Ceylon Trench and Mount Pleasant Wood. Next the battalion were moved into support line trenches while the British heavy artillery laid down a bombardment on the Chemical Works at Rouex. Late in the day the battalion returned to the front line trenches.  

Henry was killed in action on 28 April.