Private Clarence James PIKE
6 – 12 – 1890 – 26 – 3 – 1917
Clarence James PIKE was born 6th December 1890 in PROSPECT HILL, near MEADOWS in the ADELAIDE Hills. He was the son of James and Eliza PIKE who lived at PROSPECT HILL. Clarence was known as Clarrie to his family and friends.
Clarence worked as a Lime Ganger (supervisor) with the South Australian Government Irrigation and Reclamation Department at BERRI, KINGSTON on MURRAY and WAIKERIE, where he was the Lime Kiln Manager.
He had lived in WAIKERIE for 2 years, a practicing Methodist; he regularly attended church and helped with Sunday school. Clarrie took the train to Adelaide and enlisted on April 24th, 1916. He attested (formally enlisting in the AIF) the same day.
He left for the Mitcham training camp immediately. He was described as a single man, 24 years of age, 5’7 ¼ “tall, weighed 148 pounds and had a 40” chest. He had light brown hair, a fresh complexion and hazel eyes, and was also described as being “fine manly young fellow, a favourite of the community”.
Clarence completed camp training and embarked from Adelaide on H.M.A.T ANCHISIS on 28th of August 1916. They arrived in England on 14th October 1916 and commenced intensive training for the theatre of war to which they were to be sent, “The Western Front”. Clarence joined his battalion, the 27th, on the Western Front in France, on 1st January, 1917, New Years Day.
The 27th were involved in sporadic fighting and assisting other units in advance and attacking actions against the famous and formidable HINDENBURG LINE and other objectives. At 5.15am on the 26th of March, 1917, Clarrie and the others in A and C companies attacked their objective, the sunken road between L’AGINCOURT and NOVEUIL which was key to the taking of L’AGINCOURT. By 5.35am the majority of the action was complete, they had taken the objective opening the way for the AIF to sweep in and take L’AGINCOURT. Unfortunately in the brief but fierce fighting, 11 of the 27ths men were killed and 29 wounded.
Clarence James PIKE was one of those killed in this action. Although given a battlefield burial, Clarrie’s grave could not be located after the war. On this day, Monday 26/03/1917, 1,139 allied soldiers are recorded as having died.
Photographs of the area were taken in 2016 – it was within this area (about 2 footy fields in size) that PIKE died and was buried. The town visible in the background is Noreuil.
Clarrie’s father, James later received Clarence’s 1914-1915 Star Medal, British War Medal, Victory Medal, Memorial Scroll and Plaque along with a copy of the ‘Kings Message’. As Clarence PIKEs body has not been recovered his name is one of the over 4,000 killed in action and never found, who are now etched on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
Clarence was not added to the WAIKERIE Honour Roll as he has been commemorated on the Honour Roll at Prospect Hill, his home town. And on the Australian War Memorial on the Roll of Honour. He is included here as he left his home and work in WAIKERIE to answer his nations call and in doing so paid the supreme sacrifice.
