Source: Facebook Group via contribution by Ed Clarke.
Find-A-Grave
Wounded on August 21, 1917 by a German shell hitting a road.



Summary of Service[i] for Private Charles Clarke, reg. no. 776073
Date | Event | Remarks |
May 8, 1876 | Born | Born England. |
May 13, 1916 | Enlists | Enlists with the 126th Overseas Battalion at Toronto, Ontario on May 13, 1916. He is a fireman and claims 12-years service with the Imperial Garrison Artillery which includes 2-years in South Africa and 3-years in China. He is 40-years old, almost too old to enlist, and he stands 5’9” tall. He follows the Church of England. He lists his mother as his next of kin. Ruth Clarke lives at Norton, Littleworth, Worcestershire, England. His current address is 20 Arlington Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. |
June 7, 1916 | Forfeits Pay | Forfeits 2-day’s pay AWL per DO 133. |
July 1, 1916 | Forfeits Pay | Forfeits 4-day’s pay AWL per DO 154. |
July 31, 1916 | Submits Form | Submits “Particulars of Family of an Officer or Man Enlisted in the C.E.F.” This form shows his place of birth as Worcester, England and that he is not married with no children. He indicates on this form he has no other next-of-kin except his sister, Mrs. Julia Wells living at 20 Arlington Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. |
August 8, 1916 | Forfeits Pay | Forfeits 4-day’s pay AWL per DO 189. |
August 1916 | Assigns Pay | Assigns $20.00 per month to his sister, Mrs. Julia Wells, 20 Arlington Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. |
August 14, 1916 | Unit Sails | |
August 24, 1916 | Unit Arrives | Unit arrives aboard the SS Empress of Britain. |
October 15, 1916 | Transferred | SOS 126th Battalion and transferred to the 116th Battalion at Bramshott. |
November 28, 1916 | Transferred | SOS 116th Battalion to 18th Battalion. |
November 29, 1916 | TOS | TOS 18th Battalion and arrives at CBD, Etaples, France. |
December 3, 1916 | Joins 18th | Joins the 18th Battalion. |
August 21, 1917 | Admitted | “Wounded by enemy shell bursting in road.” This shell wounds and kills 23 men of the 28th Battalion. Admitted to No. 12 Field Ambulance Depot for GSW to left knee. |
August 22, 1917 | Admitted | Admitted to No. 6 CCS for GSW to left knee. |
August 23, 1917 | Admitted | Admitted to No. 4 General Hospital, Camiers, France for GSW to left knee. |
September 11, 1917 | Admitted | Transported by the AT Ville de Liege hospital ship to England. Admitted to 2nd West General Hospital, Manchester, England for GWS left knee. Noted that he was wounded on August 22, 1917 (incorrect) and that that a small foreign body was detected but not removed. He is “posted” to the WORD. |
October 28, 1917 | Admitted | Admitted to Canadian Convalescent Hospital, West Cote, Epsom. |
November 2, 1917 | Discharged and Posted | Discharged and posted to 4th Reserve Battalion, Bramshott. |
March 25, 1918 | Attached | Attached to duty with CTWS (this abbreviation is unknown to author0, Bexhill, England. |
June 11, 1918 | Appointed | Appointed Lance-Corporal with pay at Witley Camp. |
October 12, 1918 | Permission to Marry | |
December 16, 1918 | Medical Exam | Medical exam in preparation for repatriation to Canada. On this form it indicates he was born a Worcester, England. |
December 18, 1918 | Dental Exam | Dental exam shows only one filling. Kinmel Park, North Wales. |
December 21, 1918 | Proceeds to Canada | |
December 30, 1918 | Arrives Canada | Arrives at Halifax, Nova Scotia aboard the SS Carmania. |
January 2, 1919 | Demobilized | Demobilized at Toronto, Ontario. He has the rank of Lance-Corporal. |
January 18, 1919 | Medical Exam | Indicates he is suffering from myalgia. |
January 23, 1919 | Discharged | |
February 17, 1919 | Applies for War Service Gratuity | |
January 29, 1961 | Passes | Passes and is buried |
Acronyms
AWL | Absent Without Leave: Generally, a soldier would be deducted 1-days pay for every day absent. In some cases, the soldier would be confined to barracks. Sometimes it was a combination of both. |
A Classification | Medical Board Classification that determined your fitness for duty. A1, A2, A3 and A4 were assigned to different units with the expectation that these men would be able to serve with active combat units. See this link for more information. |
B Classification | Medical Board Classification that determined your fitness for duty. B1, B2, and B3 were assigned to different service units such as railway and forestry corps. See this link for more information. |
D Classification | See this link for more information. |
CAMC | Canadian Army Medical Corp |
CB | Confined to Barracks: a punishment for minor infractions. |
CCD | Casualty Convalescent Depot: a depot at a base where men, in their final stages of convalescing, would be prepared for duty depending on their rating. |
CCH | Casualty Clearing Hospital |
CCRC | Canadian Corps Reserve Camp |
CCS | Casualty Clearing Station: this facility was attached to rail transportation from the front to hospitals on the coast of France |
CDC | Canadian Dispatch Camp |
CFA | Canadian Field Ambulance/Canadian Field Artillery. Most common usage would be Canadian Field Ambulance. |
DAH | Disorderly Action of the Heart |
DRS | Divisional Rest Station |
GSW | Gun Shot Wound – this was a generic term for all projectile penetrating wounds. |
In the Field | This term relates to a soldier arriving at an active-duty unit after transporting from England, to France, and then to his duty assignment. The routing varied from soldier to soldier and could take 2-3 days to several months. |
MD | Military District |
PUO | Pyrexia of Unknown Origin: This was a term used for any illness that could not clearly be identified and typically was related to influenza symptoms. |
SOS | Struck Off Strength |
TOS | Taken On Strength |
CAMC | Canadian Army Medical Corp |
CCH | Casualty Clearing Hospital |
CFA | Canadian Field Ambulance |
DRS | Divisional Rest Station |
GSW | Gun Shot Wound – this was a generic term for all projectile penetrating wounds. |
MD | Military District |
PUO | Pyrexia of Unknown Origin |
SOS | Struck Off Strength |
TOS | Taken On Strength |
WORD | Western Ontario Regimental Depot |
[i] The Summary of Service for this soldier is meant as just that, a summary of his service. It is not intended to be an exhaustive biographical relation of his life or his war service. Some information may be deliberately suppressed by the author out of sensitivity to the soldier. Readers are encouraged to reference the actual service records available at the Library and Archives Canada in PDF format if they wish to learn more about this soldier. Such additional information (i.e. hyperlinks etc.) are for informational purpose only and no claim to verification or accuracy is made by the author of this summary.

