Hadleigh First World War Memorial
John Albert ARNOLD (aka John Albert CLARKE)
John Albert ARNOLD was born on March 5, 1899, in Islington, London. He was the youngest of four children of Francis Calder Mander ARNOLD, a stick mounter, and his wife, Sarah HOOKER. Additionally, John had a half-brother from Francis’s second marriage to Charles ARNOLD.
Francis was born in 1870 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, while Sarah was born in 1871 in Islington. They had four children born in Islington before Francis’s untimely death in 1902, aged 31.
- Francis Arnold (1889-aft.1947) – m.1906 to Alice Maud Rosetta Free; wood sawyer, millwright engineer (petrol refinery)
- Rachel Nellie Arnold (1893-1975) – m.1911 to labourer’s contractor Arthur James Miles
- Florence Sarah Arnold (1896-1961) – m.1918 to caterer William Stanley Weaving; emigrated to Victoria, Australia in 1922
- John Albert Arnold (1899-1918) – unmarried; porter, sawyer, soldier
When John was just 2 years old, his father died, leaving his mother to raise four young children on her own. On 19th June 1905, Sarah remarried at St. John the Baptist Church in Leytonstone, Essex. Her new husband, Charles Clarke, was their former next-door neighbour and had been widowed for only eight months. Born around 1863 in Shoreditch or Hoxton, Charles worked as a firewood dealer and timber merchant, operating a sawmill at 218 Grove Road, Bow. From his previous marriage to Mary Ann Riley (1863–1904), Charles had seven children, but tragically, they lost their three youngest, two of whom died just days apart. His youngest son from that marriage also died shortly afterwards at the age of 5.
Charles and Sarah had one child together, born in Thundersley, Essex, five years after their marriage. At some point between 1911 and 1915, the family moved from Thundersley to 4 The Broadway, Hadleigh.
- Sydney Charles Clarke (1910-1986) – m.1931 to Ethel Cicely Tidman; daily motor driver (dairies)
20th February 1915, 15-year-old John travelled to Southend-on-Sea to enlist in the Royal Field Artillery. He claimed to be 18 years and 11 months old and stated that he was working as a porter. However, he was discharged just 21 days later, on 12th March, for “having made a mis-statement as to age on enlistment,” just after celebrating his 16th birthday.
John’s discharge for being underage was a relatively common occurrence at the time. A high number of boys lied about their age to enlist. In many cases, it was the parents who alerted authorities to their son’s true age, leading to their discharge
1st Enlistment
- Name: John Albert Arnold
- Birth Year: 1896 / 1988
- Birth Place: Bow, Middlesex
- Enlistment Date: 20 Feb 1915 in Southend-On-Sea, Essex
- Residence at Enlistment: 4 The Broadway, Hadleigh, Essex
- Occupation at Enlistment: Porter
- Discharge Date: 12 Mar 1915
- Discharge Reason: Under Age
- Rank: Private
- Regiment: Royal Field Artillery
- Regimental Number: 69574
Five weeks later, on 20th April, John enlisted for a second time in London, joining the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry as a Private. He stated that he was 19 years and 1 month old and that he was employed as a sawyer. For his residence, he provided the address of his older brother Francis at 3 Driffield Road in Bow, who was also working as a wood sawyer.
This time, he made it 194 days before his age was discovered. His service began with the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion for his initial training in Bodmin before being transferred to the 7th (Service) Battalion. They began mobilisation in July, and on the 25th, landed in Boulogne, France, as part of the 61st Infantry Brigade in the 20th (Light) Division.
Between his arrival in France in July 1915 and his discharge in October 1915, John and the 7th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry were in a period of acclimatisation and training on the Western Front. The unit was stationed in the Fleurbaix area, and while they would have experienced shelling and enemy sniper fire, they did not participate in major, named battles during the summer and early autumn of 1915.
John was discharged for the second time on 30th October 1915 for “being under 17 years of age at the date of application.” He was now 16 years and 6 months.
John was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service.
2nd Enlistment
- Name: John Albert Arnold
- Birth Year: 1896 / 1899
- Birth Place: Bow, Middlesex
- Enlistment Date: 20 Apr 1915 in London
- Residence at Enlistment: 3 Driffield Road, Bow, Middlesex
- Occupation at Enlistment: Sawyer
- Discharge Date: 30 Oct 1915
- Discharge Reason: Under Age
- Rank: Private
- Regiment: Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
- Regimental Number: 19681
- Medals Awarded: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal
John returned to Hadleigh after his discharge before moving to Ilford. In November 1917, he enlisted for a third time in Stratford, under the name John Albert Clarke and correct age.
From 7th to 10th April 1918, John served on the Western Front as a Private in 21st (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment, a Territorial Force battalion that had already seen extensive service.
On the 11th April, he transferred to the 7th Londoners to join the British forces defending against the German spring offensive. While at the front, he would have been a witness to the historic first tank-versus-tank engagement near Villers-Bretonneux, when British Mark IV tanks encountered German A7V tanks. On the 25th, after heavy fighting and enduring a German gas attack, the village of Villers-Bretonneux was cleared of enemy troops.
The following day, on 26th April 1918, John died from wounds. He was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal for the second time. The repetition of these awards is not uncommon, as they were issued based on qualifying service in an active theatre of war. His mother, Sarah, received his pay.
3rd Enlistment
- Name: John Albert Clarke
- Birth Year: 1899
- Birth Place: Bow, Middlesex
- Enlistment Date: Nov 1917 in Stratford, London
- Residence at Enlistment: Ilford, Essex
- Rank: Private
- Regiment: 21st & 7th City of London Battalion: London Regiment
- Regimental Number: 656179 & 368003
- Death Date: 26th Apr 1918
- Death Place: Villers-Bretonneux, France
- Cemetery: Pozieres Memorial
- Type of Casualty: Died of Wounds
- Medals Awarded: British War Medal and Victory Medal
John’s story is a testament to the patriotic fervour of many young men and boys during the First World War. His multiple attempts to enlist highlight his determination to serve his country, a path that tragically ended at Villers-Bretonneux.
Sarah and her husband Charles Clarke were present at 4 Broadway, Hadleigh, when the 1921 census was taken. Charles was working as a builder’s merchant from home, aged 59, and Sarah was aged 50. Their son Sidney was aged 11 years and at school. The electoral register records Charles and Sarah living at The Broadway until 1926, after which their whereabouts and fates are unknown.
All of John’s siblings married and had children.
Francis ARNOLD married Alice Maud Rosetta FREE in 1906 and had four children together. The family moved to 3 Driffield Road, Bow, c.1915, but in 1921, Francis was nowhere to be found. Alice stated that she was a widow on her census return and that the father of her children was dead. However, he was not, and the couple were living back together at 3 Driffield Road in 1939, and Francis was working as a millwright engineer at a petrol refinery. Alice was still living there in 1965, but Francis was no longer there from 1947. Alice died in 1981, but Francis’s death is unknown.
Rachel Nellie ARNOLD married Arthur James MILES (a labourer from Benfleet) in 1911 in Thundersley, Essex, and they had three sons. In 1939, Rachel was living with their middle son, Oswald, in Sussex, and Arthur was living with another woman in West Ham (Gladys Harvey – they married in 1943, just a few months before she died). Arthur died in 1955 in Kent, and Rachel died in 1975 in Surrey. Their son, Oswald Francis Arnold Miles, was killed in action on the 31st May 1940 during the retreat to Dunkirk in WWII. He was a Gunner in the Royal Horse Artillery.
Florence Sarah ARNOLD married William Stanley WEAVING in 1918 in Hadleigh, and they had two sons. Their first son was born in Hadleigh in 1921, and in 1922, the family emigrated to Australia, where they had their second son. Their youngest son, Kenneth Arnold Charles Weaving, joined the Royal Australian Air Force during WWII and was killed in action in 1943. Florence died in Australia in 1961, her husband in 1990.
Sydney Charles CLARKE married Ethel Cicely TIDMAN in 1931 and had at least one son. Sydney died in 1986, and his wife Ethel in 1988; both remained in the Southend area.
Link To Hadleigh
When John first enlisted (underage) into the army in 1915, he was living at 4 The Broadway, Hadleigh, Essex, with his mother and stepfather, who were still living there in 1926. This is why his name appears on the Hadleigh War Memorial.
The St James the Less church WWI plaque lists J A Arnold as having died in 1918, and the memorial plaque names him as John A Arnold.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission states:
- Private JOHN ALBERT CLARKE*
- Service Number: 368003
- Regiment & Unit/Ship: London Regiment, 7th Bn.
- Date of Death: 26 April 1918
- Buried or commemorated at POZIERES MEMORIAL, France, Panel 86 and 87.
- Country of Service: United Kingdom
*original name John Albert ARNOLD
Family Tree
John’s father, Francis Calder Mander ARNOLD, was the first of six children born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, to parents Francis ARNOLD and Rachel WOODMAN. His father worked as an electroplater, whip chaser, silver chaser and stick mount chaser.
John’s mother, Sarah Ann Jane HOOKER, was the fourth of eight children born in Islington, London to parents Charles Archibald HOOKER (a firewood cutter) and Sarah Ann COMPTON. Charles was previously married to Sarah Ann HUBBUCKS in 1856, but her death has not been found, nor a marriage record for him to Sarah Compton. It’s possible that his first wife was related to his second wife through the Hubbucks line (and that they weren’t actually married).
John’s paternal grandfather, Francis ARNOLD, was the first of three children born in St Pancras, London, to George ARNOLD and Catherine Ann CALDER. George was a warehouseman for a cabinet and general house furnishing company and was born in Essex, whilst Catherine was born in Scotland. Of the three children, only their daughter lived with them. Francis was brought up by his aunt and uncle (his mother’s sister), Francis Brookes MANDER and Margaret CALDER. This explains why he named his son (John’s father) Francis Calder Mander ARNOLD. His uncle Francis was a bailiff farmer and also a Chelsea pensioner. He’d been a Sergeant with the Royal Regiment Of Artillery (Second Battalion) between 1815-1836.
John’s paternal grandmother, Rachel WOODMAN, was the fourth of twelve children to parents John WOODMAN (a journeyman wire worker) and Herodias BLENKIN. Their first child died at age 17, and the next two in infancy. After Rachel was born, they lost five more children in infancy, followed by two more who survived. Eight years later, Herodias had another child, but sadly she either died in childbirth or very shortly afterwards, followed by John seven years later. Rachel looked after her youngest sister from the time their mother died.
John’s maternal grandfather, Charles Archibald HOOKER, was the sixth of eight children born in (or near) Hackney, London, to parents Joseph William HOOKER (a cabinet maker) and Mary Ann MALCOM. Joseph died in 1843, two years after the birth of their last child. Mary remarried in 1850 to Samuel AUSTIN, a shoemaker, who was twenty years her senior. They had one child together, who likely died young.
John’s maternal grandmother, Sarah Ann COMPTON, was the first of nine children born to parents James COMPTON (a wood sawyer) and Sophia HUBBUCKS. Both James and Sophia were born in Buckinghamshire, their first child (Sarah) was born in Berkshire, and the rest were born in Paddington and Islington, London. Sophia died in 1869, and James likely died before the 1871 census, as one of the younger children was living with his sister Sarah (John’s grandmother) and her family in 1871.
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- Arnold Family Tree