Oliver Clarke was born in Ipswich in 1898, the son of Walter Clarke, a cook / shop keeper (1901 census) & Sophia nee Kitson.

Walter joined the 6th Suffolk Cyclist Bn in 1914 at age 15. He must have joined with a false name (and age) as there is no record in the medal cards or rolls of his service with the Suffolks, which there should be as her served in a theatre of war, being Gallipoli in 1915. The medal card & roll for Oliver Clarke only mention his service in the 25th London Cyclist Bn which would have commenced in Dec 1915 when a draft of the Suffolk's joined the 1/25th London Cyclists. His first service number on the medal records of 3108 is also indicitive of a joining date in Dec 1915 (see numbers.htm).

He recorded a short history of his war service which can be heard as an MP3 file here.

His reminiscences show that he served in Gallipoli and Mesopotamia (Euphrates river reference) in 1915, then from May 1916 in India with the 1/25th London Cyclists serving in the Waziristan campaign in 1917 and in the Amritsar disturbances in 1919.

He married Phoebe Hilda Price and had 3 children, twins Mary and Betty and son Ronald.

[The recording was kindly sent to me by Leah Berry whose husband was a grandson of Oliver.]