Major E.S. Clark RWF

[EdinFla]

Some years ago I obtained a swagger stick belonging to one Major E.S. Clark of the 5th Brigade of the RFW, which I take to mean Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

I just obtained a date for the Hallmarks which is 1908/1909 so it seems that the gentleman in question might well have served in the Great War.

Would it be reasonable to assume that his age might have been late 20's in 1909?  That would put him in his 40's during the war.  

 

I would like to ID this gentleman.   Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

 

[PRC]

14 minutes ago, EdinFla said:

Major E.S. Clark of the 5th Brigade of the RFW, which I take to mean Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

Do you mean Battalion , ("Bn"), rather the Brigade, ("Bde") - I can't make it out from the picture. An infantry regiment like the Royal Welsh Fusiliers would have Battalions, not Brigades.  Perhaps a better picture of the inscription might help.

Cheers,
Peter

[EdinFla]

Quite right.  It is "Bn".  Thanks.

[George Rayner]

Perhaps this is him in the Gazette 1902 becoming a Captain?

 

[George Rayner]

So far the only other E S Clark I can turn up-as a Major is this chap

November 1914 RAMC

George

[George Rayner]

The 1905 Major is Ernest Shaw Clark and Punjab Army! So not our man

[PRC]

13 minutes ago, George Rayner said:

Perhaps this is him in the Gazette 1902 becoming a Captain?

 

Following up this individual, the natural break-point would be whether he decided to move over to the Territorial Force on it's creation in 1908. Judging from this entry in the 1910 edition of Hart's Annual Army List it appears he (probably) did - and by now he was a Major with seniority from the 1st May 1908.

Image courtesy National Library of Scotland.
https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/100781757

Cheers,

Peter

[George Rayner]

...and it looks like 5th Battalion on the swagger stick

George

[corisande]

5th (Flintshire) Battalion, The Royal Welsh
Fusiliers; Major Edward S. Clark resigns his
commission. Dated 13th July, 1912

London Gazette

[EdinFla]

Gosh ... you folks are quick!!!  Thank you.

I will say, I feel a bit like Captain James Bellamy when I pick it up. 

The 1908 date aligns with the date of the Hallmark 1908/09.

[corisande]

And his promotion to Major in LG

5th (Flintshire) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers;
Captain Edward S. Clark to be Major. Dated
1st July, 1908.

[EdinFla]

2 minutes ago, corisande said:

5th (Flintshire) Battalion, The Royal Welsh
Fusiliers; Major Edward S. Clark resigns his
commission. Dated 13th July, 1912

London Gazette

Why, I wonder.

Too old?  Retired?  

[corisande]

His full name was Edward Stuart Clark. He never served in WW1, probably too busy running a Coal Mine

From The Leader, October 21, 1932:
"We regret to announce the death which took place on Friday, at Seaford, Sussex, of Mr. Edward Stuart Clark, of Llay Cottage, Llay, near Wrexham, managing director of the Llay Hall Colliery Company. Mr. Clark had been unwell for some time past, but the news of his death came as a shock to his many friends. A son of the late Mr. Edwin Stanley Clark, of Oak Alyn, (and at one time of Penllwyn, Wrexham), Mr. Stuart Clark was 55 years of age. He was educated at Rugby, and afterwards studied at the School of Mines, South Kensington. Later he was associated with the North Wales coal industry and ultimately became managing director of the Llay Hall Colliery Company and of the Llay Hall Brick Company. Up to the time of his last illness he was actively engaged in the management and direction of the work at Llay Hall Colliery, Cefnybedd. He say the development of the new side of the North Wales coalfield and with his co-owners bored for coal on what is now the Llay Garden village. This was in 1906 and the family interests were later disposed of to the owners of the Llay Main Colliery. Mr. Clark was eminently successful in all his commercial undertakings both in coal and clay. Until four or five years ago Mr. Clark was a member of the Wrexham Rural District Council for a considerable number of years, and acted as chairman of the District Highways Committee. He was interested in Cross Street Mission Church which is near Llay Hall Colliery, and was a manager of Cross Street School. He lived, however, at Llay as was secretary of the committee formed to build St. Martin's Church, Llay. He was also on the committee for the St. Martin's Church Institute, Llay.
In his younger days, Mr. Clark held a commission in the old 2nd Volunteer Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers, and when the Territorial Army was formed, he became attached to the 5th Battalion of the R. W. F., of which he was a major. He was a military member of the Territorial Army Association for Flintshire. He was a member of the Ceramic Society, and was also a member of the Institute of Clay Workers. He served on the Executive Board of the North Wales Coal Owners Association in connection with the Coal Mines Act, 1930. He was a member of the Wrexham and District Conservative Association.
Mr. Clark married in 1912, Frances, daughter of Mrs. E. F. E. Royle, of Hough Green House, Chester, by whom he is survived, and by three children, one son and two daughters - Mr. Edward Greville Clark, who has just entered Clare College, Cambridge, Miss Suzanne Clark, and Miss Pauline Clark.

 

 

[PRC]

Looking at Harts' Annual Army List for 1914, (so "correct" to the end of 1913), he is no longer listed with the 5th Battalion or indeed any other Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Nor is there a match in the Retired  \ Reserve List. The index says there is an E. S Clark, Welsh Fusiliers recorded on page 55, but that is actually the R.A.M.C. man.

Meanwhile the R.A.M.C man is shown to have entries on page 62, (nothing) and 573 which he does.

So as per @corisande he had resigned his commission, rather than retired. While the Territorial Force seems to have been very lenient with residency requirements for officers, Edward Clark may have moved or even emigrated. Alternatively he may have picked up bigger business commitments that left him unable to attend.

According to the London Gazette of the 6th November 1900 which has his original commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant he was an Edward Stuart Clark.

Image courtesy London Gazette: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27244/page/6783/data.pdf

Assuming he was born in England & Wales - a BIG assumption, the only likely match in the civil birth records is an Edward Stuart Clark, mothers maiden name Scotcher, whose birth was registered with the civil authorities in the Wrexham District of Denbighshire in the October to December quarter, (Q4), of 1877.

On the 1881 Census of England & Wales there is a 3 year old Edward Stuart Clark, born Gwersyllt, Denbighshire, who was recorded living at Rock Cottage, Gwersyllt. That address fell within the Wrexham Civil Registration District for Births, Marriages and Deaths. This was the household of his parents, Edwin Stanley Clark, (aged 32 a Civil and Mining Engineer, born London) and Susan Muller Clark, (aged 33, born Wrexham). The couple also have two daughters and a live in domestic servant.

By the time of the 1891 Census of England & Wales the family have moved to a dwelling on Chester Road, Wrexham and father Edwin, (41) lists his occupation as Colliery Proprietor, Terra Cotta Brick and Tile Formation, Civil and Mining Engineer.

After that Edward and his parents seems to disappear from the Census record.

Edit. Just seen @corisande latest post - hope that fills in a few gaps.

Cheers,
Peter

Edited 24 December , 2021 by PRC
Typo

[PRC]

35 minutes ago, corisande said:

He was a military member of the Territorial Army Association for Flintshire.

If he was then looks like it pre-dated the Great War. He is not shown in the connection with the Territorial Force Association for Flintshire in:-

August 1914 : https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/103636142

January 1915: https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/120358796

or January 1919: https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/123233664

(of course if it was actually the Territorial Army Association then it would be post-war from 1921 onwards.)

His father, Edwin Stanley Clark, passed away in 1900 leaving an estate valued at £105,012. https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=Clark&yearOfDeath=1900&page=2#calendar

Even just allowing for inflation that would be north of £9 million in todays money.

Which possibly explains the society wedding of Edward in the Chapel Royal in London.

Cheers,
Peter

[EdinFla]

4 hours ago, corisande said:

5th (Flintshire) Battalion, The Royal Welsh
Fusiliers; Major Edward S. Clark resigns his
commission. Dated 13th July, 1912

 

 

And married that December.

Edited 24 December , 2021 by EdinFla

[EdinFla]

Thank you all very much.  I wonder if the RWF museum would be interested in a donation.  

[clive_hughes]

Edinfla,

I can't say whether the RWF Museum would accept this item as a donation, but I'd encourage you to ask them at any rate - try c/o Wrexham County Borough Museum, County Buildings, Regent Street, Wrexham LL11 1RB or digitally via the WCBM website.  The RWF Museum's research and acquisitions side is run from here rather than the museum in Caernarfon Castle.   

Clive

[EdinFla]

Thank you.