Charles Alfred Clarke

An Engineman with H.M.S. Pembroke, Charles died on 3rd of September 1917 at the age of 29. 

Charles was born at Lowestoft on 1 June 1888, a son of William Joseph and Jane Ethel Clarke. In 1891 his family lived at Cooper’s Cottages, The Hemplands, and by 1901 at Mill House, Church Road. Later his parents lived at 32 Ipswich Road.

In 1911 Charles was an engineer and fish packer on the trawler John and Sarah, LT 289, at Penzance. By July 1915 he was living at 115 Cambridge Road. 

On 23 September 1916 Charles married Clara Agnes Fletcher at Saint Margaret’s Church, Lowestoft. Charles was an engineer living at 15 Cambridge Road, and Clara lived at 75 Beccles Road. Later Clara lived at 84 Queens Road. 

On 12 July 1915 Charles joined the Royal Naval Reserve. He served on the Placeo, a requisitioned Lowestoft trawler, LT 553, used as a net vessel. On 31 July 1917 he was drafted to H.M.S. Pembroke.

In September 1917 the Royal Naval Barracks at Chatham was full of ratings and overflow accommodation had to be found at the Drill Hall. On 3 September 1917 Charles was at Chatham Barracks. That night five German Gotha bombers made a raid on the Medway towns, including Chatham. The Drill Hall took a direct hit and over 130 men, including Charles, were killed or wounded. Ninety-eight of the men were buried at Gillingham.

Charles was buried at Lowestoft on Saturday 8 September, and the service was conducted by The Reverend E. A. Bennett, superintendent Wesleyan Methodist minister. A memorial service was held at the Wesleyan Church, High Street, on the evening of 9 September.