Captain Ronald Malcolm CLERK (1904)

King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment), attached to 6th (Service) Battalion, Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
Born 28 October 1885 in Paddington, London
Killed in action 9 April 1917, aged 31
Buried at Faubourg D’Amiens Cemetery, Arras, France. Also commemorated on the war memorial at St John the Baptist Church, Windlesham, Surrey

Ronald Clerk was the son of John Somervail Clerk and Dora Agnes, née Carew, of Foresters, Windlesham, Surrey.

He was educated at Malvern College, and took his BA at Merton in 1908. He then became Assistant Master at Windlesham School.

In August 1914 he obtained a Commission in the Royal West Surrey Regiment and went with his battalion to the front in June 1915. He was promoted to Captain in July 1915.

Clerk was killed at Arras whilst leading his company into action, on 9 April 1917. His Commanding Officer wrote to his parents:

Your son was killed on the morning of 9th April to the lasting sorrow of his many friends here.  His death was almost instantaneous… His loss will be felt by us all… He played the game until the last dying at the head of his company.