Clarke, Robert John
PLACE OF BIRTH
Port Douglas, Qld
OCCUPATION
Plumber
PLACE OF ENLISTMENT
Cairns QLD
DATE OF ENLISTMENT
7/08/1917
NEXT OF KIN
(wife) Mercedes Mabel Clarke, 32 Minnie Street, Cairns QLD
LINK TO DOUGLAS SHIRE
Born Port Douglas, QLD
REGIMENT 1
2nd A. N & M. E. F.
REGIMENT 2
9th Battalion AIF
RANK
Private
CAMPAIGN 1
New Guinea
DATE DISCHARGED
15/11/1919
OTHER INFO
British War Medal No.31602; Victory Medal No.29774
STORY OUTLINE
Robert John Clarke was born in Port Douglas and enlisted in Cairns. His service record includes a note on his mobilization with the 2nd A.N. & M.E.F. in August 1914 (No Attestation Paper was received). He embarked at Cairns on 8/08/1914 with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force for Thursday Island Garrison duty and re-embarked on the Troopship Kanowna for service outside Australia to take part in the capture of German New Guinea. He returned to Townsville on 18/09/1914 and was discharged 'on account of the trouble caused by the firemen on the troopship'. Later he enlisted for WW1 on 7th August of 1917, his previous military experience being given as 8 years in naval forces. He embarked from Sydney on HMAT Euripides A14 on 31/10/1917 and disembarked at Liverpool England on 26/12/1917 and was immediately transferred to the 1st Training Battalion at Sutton Veny, England. On 23/03/1918 he was admitted to the Military Hospital in Lancaster England and discharged for the Training Depot. Taken on strength in the 9th Battalion in France on 28/07/1918 he was wounded in action just 13 days later and admitted to No 55 General Hospital, Wimereux, Boulogne France with a gun shot wound to the neck. Recuperating until mid-September 1918 he rejoined his unit with a short stay in hospital with influenza during February 1919. Transferred to the Australian Corps Workshop in Jeumont, Pas de Calais France on 17/05/1919 he returned to Sydney on 23/07/1919 onboard HT Main.
SERVICE NO
7696
