Pte. Leslie Harvey Clark

Leslie Harvey Clark was born at Bay View Villa in Edgecumbe Road, Tauranga, on 17 March 1891 (reg. 1891/1552). His parents were John Angus and Elizabeth Ann Clark (nee Brownlie) who married in the Old Mission Chapel in Tauranga on 19 October 1875 (reg. 1875/3078). They were married by the Rev Cannon Jordan. Leslie played hockey and was a member of the Tauranga Rifle Club. On 28 December 1914 the Bay of Plenty Times reported that Leslie had left to join the 1st NZEF. He embarked from Wellington on 14 February 1915 for Suez, Egypt (Service No: 12/1590). He was with the Auckland Infantry Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements. Leslie was reported missing at Gallipoli, believed dead, during the Battle of Chunuk Bair on 8 August 1915 (reg. 1918/70205). He was aged 24. On 19 August 1915 the Bay of Plenty Times reported: “Word has been received here that Mr Leslie Clark, son of Mrs J. A. Clark, of Tauranga, who was serving with the New Zealand Forces at Gallipoli, has been missing since August 8th.” According to Leslie's great niece Lisa Clark: Leslie H. Clark was on Sari Bair Heights when he was killed. "The right column, comprising the 29th Indian Brigade and the New Zealand Infantry Brigade, got almost to the top of Chunuk Bair. After both columns rested up on 7 August, a renewed push was made the next day. This saw the New Zealanders actually attain their objective, but Monash's troops-ordered to seize a northern spur line known as Adbel Rahman Bair then move south along it to Hill 971 -Sari Bair Heights- were caught in the open by well-sited Turkish machine-guns and driven back with great slaughter." Of the 700 New Zealanders killed that day on Sari Bair only 11 have identified graves, most, including Leslie Clark, were left where they fell, unidentified, and finally buried in a mass grave in 1921 on Chanuk Bair (2701 New Zealanders were killed, from a total of 80,000 Commonwealth Troops (British, French, ANZAC). Source: Biography by Debbie McCauley http://tauranga.kete.net.nz/remembering_war/topics/show/2225

See also:

• Military Personnel File Links:
• Cenotaph Record
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission Record
• New Zealand War Graves Record

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• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Jan 23 2017, 6:51:03 UTC