Charles Clarkson: 1879– [Heath 1888–1893]
Charles Clarkson died of septicaemia on training after only a few weeks with the BEF.
He was born in 1879 to James and Sarah Clarkson; his father was a solicitor practising in Harrison Road; he attended Heath from September 1888 to December 1893 going on to study at New College, Oxford, after which he joined his father’s firm as a partner.
He lived on Savile Terrace, Bell Hall, and married Emma Hirst at Brighouse Parish Church on ; he was a member of King Cross Cricket Club from the age of 14 and was captain of the eleven for a dozen years.
Service history: he was commissioned into the 2nd/4th Battalion, West Riding Regiment on . This battalion was often referred to as the ‘Chums Battalion’ because it was raised locally as the reserve battalion for the regular 1st/4th Battalion, West Riding Regiment. He was promoted to Temporary Captain on .
Later he was a supervising instructor for some ‘Derby recruits’ after which he was acting adjutant to his battalion before he sailed with the battalion from Southampton on the ‘Duchess of Argyle’ for La Havre on .
Fate: it seems that they were undergoing induction into the trenches from - in a place called Bus-les-Artois, close to the Somme battlefield. He came down with septicaemia while on a course of instruction with Vth Army School. He was admitted seriously ill on to 29th Casualty Clearing Station and died on . It seems that his septicaemia was a consequence of complications from frostbite.
With thanks to David Millichope