A century on from the end of World War I we acknowledge their service …
Lest we forget.
Private Arthur John Clancy
Born: 1883 – Myrtleford. Killed in Action: 8 October 1917 near Zonnebeke (Ypres), Belgium
Enlisted: 3 February 1916 aged 31.
Served: Western Front
Jack Clancy was a son of William and Elizabeth Clancy, who moved to Pakenham in the 1890s, settling on a property called Wyuna near the Toomuc Creek.
Jack followed in his father’s footsteps as a farmer.
He arrived in England in late July 1916 and was quickly transferred to a trench mortar battery unit.
In September 1917, Jack was wounded in action during the Third Battle of Ypres, but remained at his post.
On 5 October at Zonnebeke near Ypres, Jack was wounded in the head and subsequently died of his wounds.
A Gazette tribute read: “In his domestic life he was a good son and brother, high principled and unselfish, whilst socially he was greatly liked, a good footballer and tennis player, and on the cricket field his ‘deadly left’ was invaluable to his side and a constant menace and danger to the opposing batsmen. His loss will be greatly felt in future years on both these fields of sport. It may truly be said that he ‘played the game’ equally honourably in his daily life and on the battlefield….”
This is an extract from Patrick Ferry’s book A Century After The Guns Fell Silent – Remembering the Pakenham District’s WWI Diggers 1914-18.
For more details on this and other profiles in the book, head to the website www.pakenhamww1.com
