Robert William CLARKE

Captain Robert William Clarke MRCVS was born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, the son of Thomas Allen Clarke MRCVS and his wife Margaret.

He graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London, in December 1886 and went into practice with his father, taking over the business upon the latter’s death in 1890.

Following the outbreak of the war, Robert gave up his practice to serve as a Veterinary Officer with the Lincolnshire Yeomanry. He left with the first draft of his regiment to serve overseas in October 1915. He was on board the SS Mercian, an unescorted and unarmed troopship bound for Salonica, when, on the 3rd of November, it was attacked by a German submarine U-38. Although the attack was later broken off and the Mercian eventually reached Oran in North Africa, much damage had been done to the ship with many casualties, and it is reported in the Veterinary Record that Robert Clarke had spent many hours in the water before being picked up.

Following repairs in Oran, the Mercian was diverted to Alexandria, and for the following months, Robert served with his regiment in Egypt. He died, aged 49, of dysentery on 19th August 1916 in a hospital in Cairo and is buried in Cairo War Memorial Cemetery. He was married with two daughters.

Captain Clarke’s obituary appeared in The Veterinary Record on 2 September 1916.