Actions
at the Somme, Early September 1916
“The Commander-in-Chief has asked
the Corps Commander to convey his heartiest congratulations to all ranks, 2nd
Batt’n on their achievement this afternoon.”
-Field Message to 1st Canadian Division
from Canadian Corps’ Headquarters,
9 September 1916[1]
Acting Corporal Leo
Clarke had been given orders to lead his section in clearing out towards the
left extremity of the German trenches which 2nd Battalion had just
taken. Once there, his section was to
provide cover for Sergeant Nicholl’s group from the battalion’s Bombing
Platoon, tasked to create a blocking position to protect the flank of the newly
won ground. Corporal Clarke had a small
problem with the job he’d been given. By
the time the objective had been reached, he didn’t have a section left. They’d either been killed or wounded
proceeding down the trench; the fighting to get through between narrow walls
had been nasty, close, hand-to-hand murder.
Clarke’s section had used up their Mills bombs in the getting there, and
all he had to defend his stand was his Webley revolver. With no one left able to help him, Corporal
Clarke carried on as best he could to create a decent fighting position,
putting a barricade together with what he had on hand. A counterattack could be moments away.
So far, the enemy had
shown an unexpected resilience. Just at
the hour of 2nd Battalion’s attack, Canadian Corps had received a
telling report on German prisoners captured earlier that afternoon: “Two
deserters came over to 1st Bde…two hours ago. They came back (from a transfer to the
Eastern Front) and have been two days in front line….In this man’s company,
there were 7 killed and 6 wounded this morning, 50 casualties last night…..The
battalion had a very bad time in the trenches, and in another 24 hours they
would not be very much good for further fighting.”[2] This only seemed to corroborate a similar
report forwarded to Reserve Army from Canadian Corps that morning. The previous day, “Two Germans surrendered
about midnight and report enemy very nervous and fearing an attack.”[3] If this intelligence could be trusted (it
wasn’t unknown to send “deserters” across the line to sow disinformation),
Haig’s “wearing out battle”[4]
was having its desired effect. Months of
keeping pressure on the Germans here at the Somme seemed to be syphoning
strength and moral will. Another
concerted effort across a wide front; a general offensive in the works for
mid-September, just might punch though a thinned crust of resistance and open
the war up, at last.
Before such a large
scale effort could go ahead, several small, very limited positional battles
would be required to shake out and even up the proposed start line. This meant sorting out the mesh of
trenchlines which were the result of the summer’s assaults and
counterattacks. Portions of the German
front line created spurs which would pose a problem with a broad axis of
advance in keeping touch with flanking units.
One such hitch was a thorn at the divide between the British VI Corps
and the Canadians. A hasty attack to
gain this portion of the German line, isolating it and then incorporating it
into the British line would be of vital importance to upcoming operations. The frontage to be attacked was fairly
narrow. A single, determined battalion
with its companies advancing in waves was considered adequate to the task. Conceived and confirmed only hours before it
was set to occur, the orders were delivered to 2nd Battalion out of
trenches in 1st Brigade reserve on the evening of 8 September. On the morning of the 9th, the
battalion would relieve at the front line and be prepared to go into action at
quarter to five that afternoon.[5]
“Relief completed 1.25
pm,” the Battalion War Diary states, “Companies moved into position preparatory
to attack.”[6] Specially built “jumping off” trenches had
been dug slightly forward of the main line, and here the assaulting waves
sheltered, bayonets fixed, waiting for the tremendous covering barrage which
would signal them to advance.
2nd (East
Ontario) Canadian Infantry Battalion was one of the Corps’ most veteran
units. Part of the First Contingent
raised at the onset of the war in 1914, the battalion had been in France, at
every major engagement experienced by Canada’s young army since February 1915.[7] By this point, few of its number were from
the Battalion’s origin. Many were
reinforcements who’d come along since, including Corporal Clarke who’d finagled
a transfer to 2nd Battalion so he might serve alongside his brother.[8]
Zero hour, 4.45 pm, the
“barrage opened, men leapt over the parapet.”[9] There was nearly two hundred yards of
no-man’s land to cross before reaching the German line, and initially it seemed
that little effort was made in stopping them.
Companies on the right flank gained lodgement without losing a man,
linking up with VI Corps’ men from 15 (Scottish) Division a few minutes past
five o’clock. Along the left edge, Jerry
proved more stubborn. Before they could
storm the trench, “men were held up for a few minutes by heavy machine gun
fire.”[10] In what was later described by a witness as
“the bravest thing I ever saw,” Lieutenant J P Pringle charged the machine gun
on his own, “and killed the crew with his revolver.”[11] Lt. Pringle was fatally wounded in the act,
but his sacrifice allowed the attack to proceed. This unnamed witness and “Ontario officer”
quoted in the Grand Prairie Herald eulogised him by stating Lt. Pringle “knew
the danger he faced when he made his dash, but he was built of the stock that
would give his life without hesitation.”[12] With the machine gun out of action, the left
trench could be seized. By 5.08 pm, 2nd
Battalion held their objectives, the situation reported by the attack
commander, Major Vanderwater was “well in hand.”[13] His artillery Forward Observing Officer would
have a working telephone line to Divisional guns enabling on call support
before six o’clock.[14] All that remained was to secure the flanks
and create the blocking positions and bombing posts which were the
responsibility of the Battalion Bombing Platoon.[15]
It was imperative to
the success of future operations that this German trench be held at all
cost. Every man in the attacking force
would have had that impressed upon him, which lends reason to why Corporal
Clarke remained where he was, alone and lightly armed at the extreme left of
his battalion. He wasn’t alone for long,
but not in a good way. Some twenty Germans,
led by two officers were filing down this section of trench, directly towards
him, intent on pushing the flank.
Clarke’s actions were astounding, immediate and personally reckless; but
also absolutely correct. Without
hesitation, he advanced towards the enemy, firing his pistol as he went, having
no shortage of targets in the trench’s confines. When his Webley was emptied, he then took up
a discarded German rifle, and continued forward, still firing. One of the officers engaged at bayonet point,
scoring touch on Clarke’s thigh, who quickly shot him dead in return. Clarke then fetched up another Mauser,
running through that rifle’s magazine as well, now having turned the enemy
around, fleeing in panic by the way they had come. Reloading his revolver, he dispatched four of
the five Germans attempting to escape, making a prisoner of the fifth. Corporal Clarke was personally credited with
killing eighteen of the enemy, and single-handedly holding the crucial left
flank. 
These actions would be
deemed worthy of the British Empire’s highest decoration, the Victoria
Cross. Clarke’s award would be one of
three earned by men who’d lived at Pine Street, Winnipeg- which would be
renamed “Valour Road” in honour of the trio.[16]
Corporal Clarke would
never know of his award. Before it was
announced, Leo Clarke died of internal bleeding after being buried by shellfire
in October.[17][i]
My premier work of
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[1] 1st Canadian Division War Diary, Appendix 9,
September 1916
[2] War Diary Entry, Canadian Corps, 9 September 1916
[3] Canadian Corps Report to Reserve Army, 9 September 1916
[4] Boraston, J H, Lt Col (ed.), “Sir Douglas Haig’s
Despatches” J M Dent & Sons Ltd. 1919, pg. 17
[5] War Diary Entry, 2nd Canadian Infantry
Battalion, 9 September 1916
[7] www.cefresearch.ca
[8] Hamilton, Robert, “Victoria Cross Heroes of World War
One” Atlantic Publishing, 2015 pg. 60
[11] Grand Prairie Herald, Tuesday, October 10 1916 via
veterans.gc.ca
[14] Field Message from 1st Canadian Division to
Canadian Corps 5.25 pm 9 September 1916 (1st Canadian Division War
Diary, App. 9)
[15] 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion Operations
Order 25 (1st Canadian Infantry Brigade War Diary Appendix September
1916)
[17] Richardson, JW, Major RAMC, “Army Form I.1237 ‘Medical
Case Sheet’” re: 72132 Clarke, LB A/Cpl
[i] All Primary Sources Cited, and Information Used to
Construct this Article is due to the courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.
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