Rediscovering Egerton Clarke

I'll admit that sometimes doing this research is frustrating. So much of it is names and dates, births and deaths, an address here, a telephone listing there. And from those very spare bits of data, one tries to reconstruct a life.

Who would you be if you were summarized by only your key dates, your addresses, and your phone numbers?

It's not exactly as if I simply sit by the mailbox, waiting for more, but sometimes that's more or less the form that it takes. Patience in this research is a virtue, and sometimes it pays off!

A week ago I received a message out of Toronto from Janine Le Forestier, granddaughter of Egerton Clarke [above, right; click to enlarge], whose life and friendship with George Mills we recently attempted to examine here. Since then, my mind has been spinning trying to determine how I could best organize and set forth the information she and her family have so kindly and generously shared.

In the end, I think it is best to let Janine tell the story, just as she told it to me, and to follow the thread through the past seven days. I will only interrupt her narrative to fit her information into the outline of what we already know.


Saturday, August 06, 2011 9:39 PM

Good evening:


I am fascinated. The reason for my writing is that Egerton Clarke is my grandfather. I just stumbled upon George Mills - I had googled G.K. Chesterton [left] another of my grandfather's friends - and Egerton Clarke. I am curious about your interest in him.

Would love to connect.

Janine


Sunday, August 07, 2011 11:54 PM

I am deeply touched by your interest in a man who was so loved by my mother and respected by my father.

It is quite bizarre - absurd - that now of all times, we should be communicating like this. Over the past week I have been forced to clear out my mothers office and indeed, my parents home having just had to place them in a retirement home. I will endeavour to relay your research to her and indeed to her two brothers, Michael (# 2 child born in 1928) is visiting from England on Wednesday. The third brother - the youngest (Anthony - born in 1929) closed Burns & Oates in 1970 and began his own business with much of the remaining stock as (Anthony Clarke Books).

What I have had confirmed from reading his letters and poems - some unpublished is, as you say, is that he was a very sensitive talented man, a loving husband and father. I do not recall my mother ever telling me that he took an active role during WWI and am actually shocked. It must have been incredibly difficult for him to partake of such madness on any scale.

(He wrote a lovely poem to her and I wonder if the MC you refer to, is in fact Mary Clarke. Just a thought) .

I have discovered wonderful loving letters that he wrote to her before his death, from TB in 1944. I am in the midst of going through all the letters, cataloguing them, and pulling out as much information as I can. He was deeply religious. A devout convert who lost his inheritance when he joined the Catholic Church. But I believe there was money up until then and indeed pictures I have of him as a young boy - several years after the death of his father, would confirm this. His clothes are certainly those of a little boy who was pampered [right, with mother, Emma Anna Clarke]. So I am intrigued to learn that he was poor prior to the conversion. I do know that the family relied on my grandmother's money when they were married and he was a poor business man, quickly going through it.

His sister Dorothy died in 1972 (I can confirm the date) He did have a brother. I will be able to provide you with exact dates and additional information after I have had a chance to go through what I have although I feel you have more than I do. I have a family bible, photo's of both sides of the family including, Kelly's, Sheils, Pipers, Clarkes.

My grandfather did write beautifully as did my mother, uncle and various members of the latest generation. It is in the blood I think.

This is just a quick note. I can't tell you what your research means to me.

I must pass on this to the rest of the family over the next week or so. My father has just, at the age of 92, had two surgeries. Again ironically - his memory was amazing up until a week ago. It has slipped somewhat but he will also be intrigued by this and I will confirm some details with him. I am hoping may be able to shed some light on the "missing years".



What a wonderful message! It confirms some of what we knew and provides insight into other things we did not.

Egerton Clarke's children were named Mary, Michael, and Anthony, and were born between 1926 and 1929. At least in the case of the first two, the location of the birth is recorded as Winchester.

We also learn, sadly, of the cause of Egerton's untimely death at such a young age.

And, finally, we are privy to information that would seem to contradict my assumption that young Egerton attended St Edmund's School in Canterbury, Kent, as a poor orphan out of Brittany. Clarke did have at least two relatives who were doing quite well in business: His Aunt Hannah, a widow and owner of a large farm called Thorley Wash in Bishops Stortford, Herts, and his Uncle Egerton Harry John Clarke, a London stockbroker.

The wild card here is actually what Egerton's father, Percy, left to his mother, Emma, upon his death while chaplain at Dinard, France. She may have been fairly well off herself, although her own probate in 1931 does not reflect the assets of a wealthy woman. However, by being careful, she may have lived on her own means for thirty years after Percy's passing and put Egerton through school with proceeds from his father's estate.


Monday, August 08, 2011 3:09 PM

Just to give you a wee bit more. When my grandfather was ill, they did an experimental treatment on him - deliberately collapsing his lung(s)? - the treatment failed. Clearly.

Tony (Anthony) lives in Hartfordshire and would likely know much more than I do. If you can give me a few days I will dig up as much information as possible in answer to your question. I have been going over letters this morning and he certainly was writing - and in fact had one of his poems rejected which he took very hard - this around 1942. (I have found a notebook with additional poems in it - at least I believe they are unpublished - again I must research this more closely.) I am just getting snippets and when I am more organized I will certainly provide you with what I have. I am just on my way to visit my parents and will discuss this with my father. I am excited to also speak with my Uncle Mike (Michael Egerton-Clarke) when he arrives…

Couldn't wait - just got off the phone with my Uncle. He is fascinated that you were able to get so much information, some of it new to him also. He is a bit suspicious of your intentions - don't get me wrong - he is thrilled but wonders why? I read him your letters and because my grandfather really didn't have that much attention bestowed on him Mike wonders why you would be interested. He did not know about the WW1 corp.

Thank you so much Harry for stirring all this up. Incredible.


First of all I can completely understand Mike's suspicion of my motives in researching his family. One cannot be too careful these days. I do think it is a shame, though, that Egerton Clarke did not have more attention bestowed upon him, both during his lifetime and posthumously. The reviews do show that his poetry was well-received, and I'll admit that the 'free verse' he wrote later in his career really moves me personally.

More importantly, we discover here that Egerton Clarke did not stop writing when his work was no longer being published. In fact, I can only imagine the pain he suffered when he received a rejection in 1942 after years of documented success.


Monday, August 08, 2011 11:28 PM

Just thought I would share my father's thoughts with you. I saw my parents today and my mother was having a very good day. She recognized the name George Mills, was not aware of any heart problems. She was thrilled naturally to hear of your interest in her beloved father.

In answer to the question of why he did not publish after 1939, my own father said the war profoundly affected him, especially because he was such a gentle and sensitive man. He was walking through rubble most days on his way to his office in Westminster. His beloved country was being bombed and the Germans were ploughing through his home in Dinard [right, with Nazi beach obstructions in place]. A man of his nature would not have been able to write the kind of poetry that he loved in that atmosphere. He wasn't well as he suffered from TB early in the 40's. The war would have been a disaster to his creative spirit. Also his children were sent out of London to boarding schools and he missed them terribly. He was saddened by all that was happening around him. He must have missed his children terribly.

Could he have been suffering some sort of depression or as we call it post-traumatic stress? Quite possibly - but this is personal speculation. If I am able to get a better answer from his other son Tony, I will certainly let you know.

Cheers, Janine


There isn't much that can be added to Janine's amazing insight into the life of her father during the Second World War. She has, I feel, captured him perfectly: Feeling isolated in one of the world's largest cities, ailing, seeing his world coming apart—brick by brick at times—around him. Unable to publish and share his feelings. Missing his children. Nazis with a stranglehold on his childhood home in France.

While Clarke's feelings would not have been unusual, I'm certain, during the hostilities, they remind us of how devastating the war was to individuals of the entire society. Nightmares were common on the battlefields, but on the 'home front' as well.

Here we do find out that Egerton had an office in Westminster, less than a half mile from the home of the family of George Mills, who by 1944 had relinquished a commission in the Royal Army Pay Corps as a war substitute reserve officer and was using the damaged Naval and Military Club as his mailing address.

It comes as no surprise that the name George Mills might be remembered. Egerton Clarke had helped George survive his tenure in the military during the First World War. It would be stunning to me to find out that Mills had not reached out, trying to be a comfort to his friend during the second global conflict—at least when Egerton found himself in London.


Tuesday, August 09, 2011 7:31 PM

In front of me now is a letter in which [Egerton Clarke] is answering a question my mother must have asked concerning his brother. The letter dated December 1, 1942 refers to his brother as John (Jack) Percy Dalzell Clarke born in 1892 and died 21/02/1915 - war injury likely as he served. His name comes up if you google it. Yes - there was certainly a very wealthy stockbroker and I do remember hearing about that - thank you for the memory. Dorothy Mary Clarke is Egerton's sister. She is who my mother is named after. She died in the '70's - in fact I just read a letter regarding that, too. - can't find it but it is there somewhere.

Theresa Clarke [pictured, left, as a nurse at Guys Hopital in 1922] was born in Dublin. Her mother was Clara Sheil - a twin. There was a brother James who died during the first world war - actually - after it was just over - falling off a horse I believe. You need to come up to Toronto some time and I can show you pictures of all these folk.

I am going to email my cousin in London and ask her to see if there is any correspondence from George Mills in the possession of her father Anthony. He was supposed to have had much of this type of thing.

So - off to the library tomorrow for sure to print this all off and pass to Mike upon his arrival in the evening. He was so excited last night when I called him, he was concerned he wouldn't get any sleep. He is the last with the name Egerton and I suspect very like my grandfather in temperament. A very gentle man. As is Anthony who is an incredible writer and wonderful poet - unpublished though.

So there you have it for another day.


As I've done my research here, I have always been struck by how easy it is for family members to lose track of each other. It has even happened in my own family. I have to admit, it is extremely rewarding to read, not simply of the memories of Egerton Clarke's descendants, but of the warmth that they all continue to share.

And imagine how exciting it would be to find correspondence from or about George Mills among the letters Janine mentions!

The following taut but powerful message regards the circumstances in which writers, poets, and artists would have found themselves, even long after the last shot of the war had been fired. Is it any wonder that the creative energies of many—including Egerton Clarke and George Mills—had been sapped?


Tuesday, August 09, 2011 7:39 PM

As a very small child, I remember seeing bombed out buildings in London - it was 1954 and there was such a lot of destruction still - I remember the colour gray and we still had rations [right]. Bleak and dismal. I cannot imagine what they went through and how it affected them. Especially the sensitive artistic type. Horrible. So - there seems to be a recurring theme here doesn't it?


Thursday, August 11, 2011 9:59 PM

I had a very interesting afternoon with Mike and my parents.

I read out our emails to them and a couple of points were clarified......

John Percy Dalzel Clarke died not of a war injury but from falling off a horse - on the morning of his wedding day.

James - brother of Clara Sheil - my great grandmother died during the war on the front. (there is a plaque in Liverpool which I have seen with a James Sheil mentioned on it.)

Did not know of a sister Hannah - But my uncle remembered the Thorley Wash Farm [left] and said it was sold in the 70's - a town of Thorley now sits on the property.

I meant to mention that not only is there a plaque to Percy in the Church in Dinard - but also a couple of stained glass windows.

Sounds as though there was a stock broker on both sides of the family - Theresa's and Egertons. My uncle thinks there was one on Theresa's side - - they were quite well off.

But what was interesting and pure speculation is this regarding the writing stopping in 1939.
My uncle says Egerton was fired from Burns Oates and Washbourne.

He was in charge of the Children's Branch and at some point participated in an exhibition of children's books. He was accused of claiming some books as his own when apparently they were not. He was honest to a fault. The books must have been his but since he worked for B & O, were his writings then the property of B&O. Apparently he was very distraught over this. If that is the case would George Mills have rebelled also. Egerton then went to Hutchinson's as Art Director.

[A display of Hutchinson's mid-1930s children's offerings is pictured below, right.]

So - that is the best I can do unless I can update you further if more info comes from the UK.

Hope all of this doesn't confuse the issue too much and like I said - there is some speculation here and I am sure the war also played a part as discussed earlier.

Cheers, Janine


Janine's message above bears out her speculation that her grandfather was not a businessman—but how many poets could claim to be? It seems he may have been taken advantage of in this situation. That is not to imply that there were any illegalities in his contractual relationship with Burns & Oates, but as I grow older I find out more and more that what is legal isn't always what is morally right, and it would seem that was likely the case for Egerton Clarke.

Interestingly, Egerton's family seems to have had some stake in the publishing house as we read above. Nonetheless, Clarke took his talents to Hutchinson's, which incidentally was the publisher of the brother and sister-in-law of George Mills, authors Arthur Hobart Mills and Lady Dorothy Mills, during that era.


Thursday, August 11, 2011 11:15 PM

One more thing - I was just reading another of your articles that I hadn't seen and it brought to mind a trip I made to Canterbury where I went to the Hospital of St. Thomas [left]. There on a plaque was the name of Percy Carmichael Clarke. One of the masters - didn't get a date but it was him. Egerton was definitely at St. Edmonds also.


One uncertain aspect of the life of Percy Carmichael Clarke and Emma Anna Clarke, parents of Egerton, was their relationship with the city of Canterbury, where Egerton had been born and baptized. Discovering that Percy had been one of the Masters of the Hospital of St Thomas, which still serves as an almshouse for elderly poor today, provides us that link between the Clarkes' life in Dinard and their roots back in England.


Thursday, August 11, 2011 11:52 PM

1923 Hugh Egerton - This our Egerton. He joined with a man by the name of somebody Hugh or Hugh somebody, and they published The Death of Glass and the Earring. Hugh took off with all the money.


'Hugh Egerton' would have been the name of the firm that published The Ear-ring: A comedy in one-act [London: Egerton, 1922] and The Death of Glass and Other Poems [London: Egerton, 1923].

Again, this would substantiate that Egerton Clarke clearly was not a businessman, and an eventual mistrust of publishers may have played a role in the difficulty he had in having his work published after his fractured relationship with Burns, Oates & Wasbourne.


Thursday, August 11, 2011 11:53 PM

Don't believe Egerton resided at Egerton Gdns. They were in Tisbury, Hertfordshire, for much of their lives.


Tisbury, in Wiltshire, is situated about 25 miles west of Winchester, a locale that plays a significant part in the story of Egerton Clarke. A telephone listing for him in 1929 gives his address as "Kennels Lr Lawn Cott" within the Tisbury exchange.


Friday, August 12, 2011 11:46 AM

Just got this from my cousin (Mike's daughter here in Toronto)

I think Lr would stand for lower. There was probably an upper and a lower cottage with the same name - perhaps beside each other. Just a guess.

I just asked Dad and he said yes is does mean "lower". That there was a Lower Lawn
Cottage where Tony was born and a Lawn Cottage. It is in fact not Tisbury but Fonthill
Gifford. The address might have included Tisbury in the address as it is in the next village.

Dad doesn't know anything about Egerton Gardens or even heard of it.


As of today, here is real estate information on 'Lower Lawn Cottage': "This property is located at Lower Lawn Cottage West Tisbury Salisbury SP3 6SG and has 16 houses and flats located on it. The average current estimated value for homes in SP3 6SG is £604,313."

Also, on page 247 of Wiltshire (Vol. 26, 1975), the authors, Nikolaus Pevsner and Bridget Cherry, reference information from "Mrs. C. Lloyd-Jacob" that some ancient doors originally from nearby Fonthill Abbey [above, right], from before the 1755 fire, were still in place at Lower Lawn Cottage at the time.

The Egerton Gardens locale I wrote of came from Who's Who in Literature, in both the 1928 and 1934 editions. The entry read:

CLARKE, Egerton A. C. B. 1899. Ed. Clock Tower (Keble Coll.,Oxford), 1919. Au. Of Kezil and Other Poems (Stockwell), 1920; The Earring (one-act comedy); (Hugh Egerton), 1922. Sub.-Ed. National Opinion, 1922. C. Morn. Post, West. Gaz., Colour, Even. News, Dy. Mirror, Poetry Rev., Oxford Poetry, Oxford Fort. Rev., Nat. Opinion. 73, EGERTON GARDENS. S.W.3.

I did not capitalize that address, but found it printed that way. And, since it apparently hadn't been corrected by 1934, I'll admit I assumed it was correct. On the other hand, nothing in the above entry seems very "up to date" regarding Egerton Clarke's career after the mid-1920s, despite having been published in 1934.

One wonders if it is possible that, while visiting his office in Westminster, Clarke stayed in rooms at Egerton Gardens, less than a mile away.


Saturday, August 13, 2011 12:36 PM

Here are a couple of pictures - the family shot shows Theresa, Egerton and children from left to right
Anthony, Mary and Michael 1929 - Tisbury

Not sure of the date of the single - likely early 20's.


And, with that, I have been able to use the family photographs of Egerton Clarke you have seen illustrating this entry.



At this point, that is everything that Janine and her family have generously provided. It all has been meaningful to me because so rarely has anyone become so 'fleshed out' and truly human during this research.

Egerton Clarke is a man we can begin to understand: Sensitive, talented, complex, loving, and born during a time during which many of those adult characteristics would not have been rewarded.

Egerton endured the First World War, during which he suffered from severe health issues, raised a family through a worldwide global depression, and endured the fear, loneliness, carnage, and deprivations of the rise of fascism and ruthless attacks on his childhood home in France and England itself [depicted below, right].

Clarke was among a cadre of writers and poets who lived and wrote at the time: Dorothy L. Sayers, Gerald H. Crow, G. K. Chesterton, and Mills himself. In Egerton, we see a model for how a sensitive gentleman like George Mills may also have handled the difficulties of such era.

Mills died childless, as did his siblings, ending his branch of the family tree. He largely has been forgotten.

In breathing life into the memory of George's friend, Egerton Clarke, however, Egerton's descendants have given us insight into how Mills himself may have dealt with the horrors of World War II, and why he may never have published another word either.

Thank you so much, Janine and everyone. If any readers have any additional information or insight, please contact me and I will pass it along to the family!

Mr. Egerton Clarke Goes to War

It's clear from what we learned last time that Egerton Clarke did not come from a well-to-do family, or even a family with a moderate income. When his father, Percy Carmichael Clarke, passed away while serving as Chaplain in Dinard, France, in 1902, Egerton was just three years old. His mother was 45 years old and had another child, 14-year-old Dorothy Mary Clarke.

One day, Egerton was a three year old playing at his home on the balmy coast of France and probably being tended to by his nurse, and in the next his father was dead, his family uprooted, and his life changed forever.

As the orphan child of cleric, Egerton was able to attend St Edmund's School in Canterbury (or Blean?), which had changed its name in 1897 from the The Clergy Orphan School.

His mother, Emma Anna Piper Clarke, was the youngest daughter and second youngest child among a brood of 11 children.

Her father and mother passed away (in 1887 and 1893 respectively), and she had departed the farmland that had been her home at Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire to become the wife of an older man, the Reverend Clarke, in Norwich, Norfolk.

After that, it seems she got lost in the shuffle of siblings' deaths, family squabbling (I don't think those multiple, fraternal partnerships involving breweries that we read about last time became dissolute over nothing), and space and time—by 1902, my hunch is she truly was not in the forefront of any family member's mind. They all had other things to worry about besides a youngest sibling that, frankly, many of them hardly knew.

By the time Emma Anna was 10 years of age, her five oldest siblings would have been 18 or older. By the time Emma was 18, eight of them would have been 21 or older.

And, sadly, by the time Emma was widowed at 45, three were dead—including the two of the three youngest (Herbert and Clement), who had been closest to her in age. Within ten years, three more would pass away, leaving a married sister, two spinster sisters (who were 6, 8, and 12 years her senior), and an older brother, Ebenezer, who'd run a public house for tramps and was living with her brother Herbert's widow.

What happened to Egerton's sister, Dorothy, is open to conjecture. She seems to have disappeared into the mist, as they say. We also are unsure of Emma Anna's whereabouts between 1902 and 1917—15 long years—but we do locate her when Egerton goes to war.


Egerton Arthur Crossman Clarke became a member of the army at Southampton on 20 September 1917, and his date of service was recorded from 12 November of the same year. His occupation is recorded [left; click any image to enlarge] as "Scholar," and he was 18 years and 54 days of age. He had been classified as B III and posted to the Devon Regiment in Exeter the next day.

Two days later, on 15 November, Egerton was transferred to the Army Pay Corps in Winchester. His next of kin is cited as "Mrs. P. C. Clarke, Thorley Wash, Bishops Stortford, Herts"—the farm of her widowed (and wealthy) sister, Hannah.


We know someone else who had been transferred into the A.P.C. around that time: George Ramsay Acland Mills, who had been sent to Winchester on 16 April 1917.

We also know from our study of his First World War records that George would eventually be put out of the A.P.C.: Mills was compulsorily and involuntarily transferred to Dover on 19 September 1918. After beginning his service at the Rifle Depot in 1916 as an acting lance corporal, by 1918 George had become a mere "fatigue man" at Winchester—not very well thought of, and a man who would not be considered for promotion.

Let's take a closer look, though, at what little we know about the time Egerton spent at Winchester.

He spent eight days hospitalized at the Central Military Hospital in Winchester with influenza from 18 January 1918 through 26 January. There were no remarks recorded about his stay.

Soon, he spent 13 days at hospital—3 June 1918 to 15 June 1918—with tonsillitis, with the remark: "Cleared up on treatment."

Despite the terror that attended the influenza epidemic that year, Egerton really seems to have borne up well, and these hospitalizations on the surface don't seem to have been very serious.

However, on 20 August 1918, Egerton was hospitalized for "V. D. H.": Valvular Disease of the Heart. The attending physician's notes easily can be seen to say: "Anaemic. Systolic bruit at apex. Conducted into axilla. Heart dilated. Attacks of epitaxis frequent. Very short of breath and exertion. Unfit for further service."

Now, Egerton was admitted on 8 August, but we do not know when that diagnosis was made—perhaps the same day.

On page 1685 of the Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 78, No. 22) from 29 November 1919, there is an article by Fred M. Smith, M.D., of Chicago entitled, "Tachycardia following influenza pneumonia." You can read the article itself by clicking HERE, but the gist is that many soldiers, after suffering influenza in 1918, were beset by increased pulse rates and other maladies, leading, as the author writes, to some "who had been discharged from the hospital to quarters or duty were returned for observation. Some complained of shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, and palpitation of the heart on exertion."

Egerton's third hospitalization may have been due to a different cause than those above—he was admitted suffering epitaxis, or nose bleeds—but while the onset of symptoms may have been precipitated by his bout with influenza, his problems were likely to have been organic in nature. Of a case Dr. Smith studied in which the soldier suffered "Organic Heart Disease," he writes:

The course and physical findings of the patient differed markedly from that of the other men. He had a pulse rate of 140 per minute, a definite cardiac enlargement, and a blowing systolic murmur at the apex that was transmitted to the axilla. The findings were associated with shortness of breath, palpitation of the heart, and a feeling of exhaustion on exertion. These symptoms disappeared on rest in bed.


"Rest in bed."

Egerton Clarke had a ticket out of the army: His bad ticker.

When Egerton had reported to Winchester, his medical examination reported that he was 5 feet, 11 inches tall, 135 lbs. (very slim!), and in "Good" physical condition. His vision was excellent.

Egerton's chest size was 34" with an expanded range of 3"—completely average.

Unfortunately, that Army Form B. 178., filled out upon his arrival in the army, had already noted that Clarke suffered from a "Mitral Systolic Murmur" that was "½ (inch) under chest." Egerton's problem was, indeed, organic. Interestingly, the President of the Medical Recruiting Board passed him into service, but classified him as a "Grade III."


We gain more information on Egerton from his Army Form B. 178a., with the wonderfully descriptive title: Medical Report of a Soldier Boarded Prior to Discharge or Transfer to Class W., W. (T), P., or P. (T), of the Reserve.

Aside from the usual name, rank, and serial number, it states that Egerton's Former Trade or Occupation immediately before serving had been "Student at St Edmunds, Canterbury."

We find him being discharged due to "293 V. D. H.," and that he'd had the disability since "Childhood… in the South of France."

A history of the Facts of the case on this form reads somewhat differently than what we saw recorded above. Of Egerton, a physician wrote:

He states he has always had a weakness in his heart + was marked Grade III when he was called up on leaving a public school. He was sent to Winchester. In Jan 1918 he reported sick with pain in his chest + throat trouble. He was sent to Central M. H. Winchester. After 1 week he returned to duty. In July he reported sick + was in H. with tonsillitis [and] influenza. After 2 weeks he returned to duty. His heart became worse, he had attacks of giddiness+ breathlessness. On 20 – 8 – 18 he was sent to Union Infirmary H. + on 5 – 9 – 18 he was transferred to Bed X. H. Winchester.


The form was stamped at the War Office on 30 September 1918. He had been placed in "Grade IV" ("unfit for further service of any kind") by the Medical Board on 25 September.

Egerton had been demobilised officially on 28 September 1918. He would apply for a small pension of 20% which would begin on 1 October 1919 and last for 26 weeks based on the 321 days he had served.


To review: Egerton's third and final trip to the military hospital occurred on 20 August 1918. He was sent to the infirmary hospital on 5 September 1918.

George Mills was "compulsorily transferred" out of the Army Pay Corps [below, right] on 9 September 1918, just a few days after Egerton had been sent to Union Infirmary Hospital—and the only institution I can find by that name was 238 miles away in Bradford, Yorkshire.

That's quite a long way to send a convalescing patient. Perhaps the Medical Board convened to approve or disapprove discharge cases there and only there. Perhaps, though, there was another reason that a great distance from Winchester was deemed necessary by September 1918.


George Mills, a B III like Egerton and with health problems of his own, would have become fast friends with Clarke. Both were educated lads, and both were the sons of clergymen in the Church of England. Both were relatively tall for that time, but neither was a robust man.

Both would have been doted on as youths, the youngest sons of their mothers, both born worrisome problems: Clarke, a weak heart and Mills a speech impediment.

Both may have had trouble fitting in with the other clerks and soldiers in a segment of the army that was populated to a large degree by women. And both were a bit too sensitive and ill-prepared for survival in an environment that, at least involving males, could be hostile and physically demanding.


Clarke was simply not around very long; he served under the Colours less than a year. Mills had been around long enough—since 1916—to have presented a poor impression of himself to the military already. In fact, on the very day that Clarke was discharged for hospital on 15 June 1918, Mills was described [below, left] by an officer as "not much use, I fancy."

Perhaps that was just a coincidence, but Clarke had spent some three weeks away from his duties by then, and George was virtually 'useless.' It appears that Egerton helped Mills make more use of himself than George otherwise might have. If Clarke helped George survive in an oppressive environment, then one easily can see that completely losing Clarke later—a transfer to Bradford, followed by a discharge home—would have hit George extremely hard.

And as Mills was barely a satisfactory "fatigue man," at the very bottom of the regimental food chain, any slip in his performance would have had him sent out of the A.P.C. posthaste.

And it did. Losing his friend Egerton must have been devastating.


Interestingly, George's "place of casualty" is listed above as Watford—presumably in Hertfordshire, and a place we've been reading about in the last few entries.


George would eventually be hospitalized himself for Dhobi's Itch (probably ringworm), and finally demobilised on 19 February 1919.

Would the paths of Egerton Arthur Crossman Clarke and George Ramsay Acland Mills, both late of the Army Pay Corps and serving under the Colours for the duration, eventually cross again?

We know they will, and we'll see where and how next time. See you then.

Mr. Egerton Clarke: Meet the Maternal Family

This morning, it's time to take a look at a Clarke, and I don't mean Darren [left] up at Royal St George's…


Last time we ended with young Egerton Clarke, 11 years old and attending an "institution" in Blean, Kent. It's possible this could have been the Blean School. It's possible the "institution" was the Blean Workhouse. And depending on the way the census was aggregated, it may even have been St. Edmund's School in Canterbury (also known as The Clergy Orphans' School), just 2 kilometers from the village of Blean.

To understand which it may have been, we'll have to dig deeper, and that means having a look this time into his mother's family.


That Egerton would have ended up at St. Edmund's is no surprise. Wikipedia: "St Edmund's School Canterbury was first established in 1749 as the Clergy Orphan Society." [You can see the school below, right; click to enlarge any image]

Egerton wasn't exactly an orphan when his father passed away in 1902, but he was barely three years old. His mother, Emma Anna Piper Clarke, who was also responsible for his 13-year-old sister, Dorothy, was the daughter of a farmer. On the 1871 census, Emma Anna, is listed as a scholar, but what that meant for a 14-year-old young lady in rural Hertfordshire—even if her father worked 130 acres and employed 6 men and 2 boys—is difficult for me to ascertain. What useful skills she may have possessed or learned with which she could have supported her children is open to speculation.

And as there are no probate records for Egerton's father, Rev Percy Carmichael Clarke, we don't know the financial situation in which Emma Anna found herself—there isn't even a record of Percy's death in English or French databases—if there were legalities to be settled stemming from a death abroad, and then there was the shipping of the body back to England and the burial. That is, unless, of course, he was buried in France, where he had been Chaplain at resort town of Dinard.

On page 89 of Hazell's Annual for 1906 within a listing of various "Charitable Societies"—just below an entry for the City of London Truss Society for the Relief of the Ruptured Poor—we find the Clergy Orphan Association. Under that bold-faced entry is listed, among others, "St. Edmund's School, Canterbury" [pictured below, left].

While Egerton, whenever he attended, may have enrolled there simply because it was close to home, that reason seems less than likely. As we discussed last time, his father's move from Rector at St Michael-at-Plea, might not have been career advancement, and the family may have been in some trouble, partly financial trouble caused by the move itself. What would it have cost to move one's entire life and household to France?

Egerton's mother passed away in 1930 leaving a legacy of £194 12s., and using a solicitor as executor of her estate, not one of her children. She had been living for a number of years at 30 Portland-road in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, less than 10 miles from her childhood home at Hare Street Village in Hertfordshire.

This doesn't guarantee that she was less than well-endowed financially—it may be as simple as having a great love for family—but that's a bit difficult to determine.


Emma Anna Clarke (née Piper) was raised in a family of 11 children. She had married Percy Carmichael Clarke in late 1887 or early 1888, just at the time her father died. Francis Caton Piper, farmer, had passed away on 9 December 1887. His probate proved £270 12s. 2d. The exectutors were his eldest sons, Francis Parsey Piper and Robert Dean Piper.

That's not a huge legacy to leave a farmer's wife and 11 living children.

Might it be safe to assume that, at the time, staying out of the workhouse may have been as prominent a motive for marrying the much older Percy Clarke Emma Anna as was love—and perhaps larger?

Hannah Parsey Piper, Emma's mother, soon passed away in January 1891. There are no probate records for her.


So, by 1901, Emma Anna's parents were deceased, and Emma herself was in France with husband Percy, and most likely her two children: Neither Dorothy nor Egerton appears in Kent or Hertfordshire on the 1901 UK census. Presumably they were residing with their parents at Dinard in Bretagne [right].

So who was left back in Herts for Emma to turn to when Percy then died in 1902?

Let's see. With such a large numnber of siblings, it may be best to number them…


1.) Her youngest sibling, brother Clement Samuel Piper, died in October 1887, in Reigate, Surrey, at the age of 28. There was no probate, and there is no record that he had ever married.


2.) Another brother, Edward Herbert Piper, like his father a farmer, had passed away in 1893 in Hertfordshire, leaving behind a widow, Sarah Louisa Piper, and a 4 year old daughter, Mildred Louisa.

In 1891, Piper was likely working Bradbury Farm in Greater Hormead, and living there with his 32 year old wife and 2-year-old child.

There was no probate.

After his death, both wife Sarah Louisa and daughter Mildred Louisa would appear separately in the 1901 census, but we'll read about that much later.


3.) Yet another brother, Arthur Dalzell Piper had attended Cambridge. His entry in Cambridge University Alumni, 1261-1900 reads:

Arthur Dalzel Piper. College: ST JOHN'S Entered: Michs. 1873 Died: 16 Nov 1895 Adm. pens. at ST JOHN'S, Oct. 4, 1873. S. of Francis Caton, farmer (and Hannah). B. at Great Hormead, Herts. Bapt. Jan. 29, 1854. Matric. Michs. 1873; B.A. 1879. Ord. deacon (Lincoln) 1879; priest, 1880; C. of Timberland, Lincs., 1879-81. C. of St Luke's, Camberwell, 1881-3. V. of N. Woolwich, 1883-9. V. of Albury, Herts., 1889-95. Died Nov. 16, 1895, aged 42. (Eagle, XIX. 200; Crockford; The Standard, Nov. 19, 1895.)

[An obituary from St. John's College's The Eagle, from Volume 19 in 1897, is seen, left.]

As we can see, Arthur passed away on 16 November 1895 in Albury, near Ware, Hertfordshire. His probate proved £257 10s. 8d., presumably most or all of which was left to his wife, Jessie Mary Elizabeth Jarrett Piper. His executor was Reverend Edward John Doherty.

One wonders if Arthur's death in 1895 in any way figured into the departure of Emma Anna's husband, Percy (another cleric), for Dinard, France, in the same year.

In addition, Arthur's religious calling seems at odds with one chosen by several of his brothers, as we shall see.


Afterwards, Emma Anna's brothers seemed to pass away in even more rapid succession!

4.) Robert Dean Piper died in December 1910 in Bishops Stortford, just before the 1911 census. He left two adult children behind.

Just a decade before 1911, during the 1901 census, he had resided in Newport, Essex, and Robert, 52, listed as "living on own means." His wife, Emma Elizabeth Patten Piper, died on 6 August 1906, and her probate proved £416 17s. 3d. to Robert on 4 December 1908.

Strangley, on the 1881 census, Robert is listed as "Rolston Piper," and he was living at 68 Church Road in Richmond, Surrey, with Emma Elizabeth, their 2-year-old daughter, and a brother-in-law, 19 year old Alfred Patten, listed as a "Student Pupil." They were attended by a cook and a nurse. Robert's occupation was that of a "Brewer."

We find out why on page 5913 14 October 1879 edition of the London Gazette:

NOTICE is hereby given, that the Partnership heretofore subsisting between us the undersigned, Robert Dean Piper and Horace Shearly, carrying on the business of Brewers, at Friars-lane, Richmond, in the county of Surrey, under the style of the Richmond Steam Brewery, was this day dissolved by mutual consent j and in future the business will be carried on by the said Robert Dean Piper alone, who will pay and receive all debts owing from or to the said partnership in the regular course of business.—Dated this 11th day of October, 1879.

Robert Dean Piper.
Horace Shearly.


Then, in 1891, Robert (42), Emma (37), and the children [Robert Garnet R. (8) and Emma May Hannah (12)] were living with Emma's father, farmer John Pallew, back in Greater Hormead, Herts. Although the form does not list an occupation for Robert, it would be surprising if he had not been obligated at least to help a bit around his father-in-law's farm.

Incidentally, their son, Robert Garnet Piper, was born in January 1883 in Reigate, Surrey—where Emma Anna Clarke's brother Clement, above, died several years later in 1887. We'll soon see why and how Reigate figures into this story even more.


Two of Emma Anna Clarke's brothers passed on during July 1911, just after the census was taken:

5.) Eldest son, George Parsey Piper, had married his wife, Emma, in Essex in 1870, but worked Bury Farm in Greater Hormead, Herts, where he passed away at the age of 68. He left behind a wife named Emma and 6 children.


6.) Francis Albert Piper appeared on the 1911 census at the age of 65 and passed away at Edmonton, Middlesex.

His story starts on page 6091 of the 15 November 1867 edition of the London Gazette:

NOTICE is hereby given, that the Partnership hitherto subsisting between us the undersigned, John Newnham and Francis Albert Piper, as Brewers and Coal Merchants, at Horley, under the style or firm of Newnham and Piper, was this day dissolved by mutual consent; and that in future the business of a Brewer will be carried on by the said Francis Albert Piper on his separate account, who will receive and pay all debts owing to and from the said partnership firm. As witness our hands this 11th day of November 1867.

John Newnham.
Francis Albert Piper.

Newnham & Piper had been listed among the literally hundreds of brewers in England in Loftus's Almanack for Brewers, Distillers, and the Wine and Spirits Trade, 1869 [left].


On the 1871 census we find that Francis, 24, was owner of a brewery in Reigate, Surrey. He lived there with his unmarried sister, Matilda Frances Mary Piper, 26, and his bachelor brother Robert, 22 and mentioned above, and a servant. The business employed 3 men.

This explains the death of their brother Clement, above, occurring in Reigate in 1887, where the younger man presumably worked with, or at least was visiting, his family.

Then on page 4571 of the 7 November 1871 issue of the London Gazette, we find:

NOTICE is hereby given, that the Partnership which for some time past has been carried on by Francis Albert Piper and George Lewis Lilley, as Brewers, at Horley, under the style or firm of Piper and Co. is dissolved by mutual consent, as from the 18th day of February last. All accounts due and payable to and by the said firm will be received and paid through the said Francis Albert Piper. Dated this 9th day of October 1871.

Francis Albert Piper.
Geo. Lewis Lilley.


On the heels of that partnership dissolution, this item crops up in the 22 May 1874 issue of the London Gazette, however, on page 2751:

NOTICE is hereby given, that the partnership which for some time past has been carried on by Francis Albert Piper and Robert Dean Piper, under the firm Messrs. Piper Brothers, in the trade or business of Common Brewers, at Horley, was, on the 1st day of January, 1874, dissolved by mutual consent. As witness our hands this 1st day of May, 1874.

Francis A. Piper.
Rob. D. Piper.


It seems Francis also was having some trouble keeping a partner in on his brewing business, and those problems included his brother. We can see, though, that the dissolution of their partnership did not drive either man out of the brewery business—it merely sent Robert off to Richmond.

The 1881 census shows that Francis, 34, was still running the Horley Brewery on Station Road, but was now residing with his wife, Eliza, 32, three children, a 17-year-old governess, and two teenage sisters as domestic servants. At this point, the business employed 6 men.

Business certainly seemed to have improved.

Interestingly, in 1883, Francis's brother, Robert and his wife had had a child who was born in Horley—at a time when Robert's own brewery should have been running in Richmond. Perhaps they had anticipated a need for a period of confinement, and Francis's wife, Eliza, had offered assistance. Or, it could be that Robert's brewery had folded by then.

The Post office directory of the brewers and maltsters (1884) distributed by Kelly's Directories, Ltd. [left], lists both the Piper Brothers' Horley Brewery in Surrey, and Piper & Sweeting's Langdown Steam Brewery in Hythe, Southampton, as being active that year.

The 1995 book, A Century of British Brewers, 1890-1990, by Norman Barber, contains the following transaction: "Langdown Steam Brewery. Acquired by Strong A Co.Ltd 1895."

By 1891, however, Francis was gone from Horley, the brewery already disposed of by the above transaction, and would be residing then in Hackney, where he is listed as a "Granary Superintendent Corn," and lives with his wife and 6 children, ages 5 to 15, and he's no longer an employer: He's listed clearly as a "employed."

By 1901, Francis was living in Hackney at 315 Kingsland Road with Eliza and 5 children, ages 10 to 25 years. His occupation still is listed as a "Forage Superintendent Corn."

There was no probate that I could locate.


That amounts to six deceased siblings through the year 1911.

So, by the end of that summer in 1911, Emma Anna Clarke had only four living siblings:


7.) Matilda Frances Mary Piper, her spinster sister, was living back in Bishops Stortford in 1911. In 1901, she had been living on her own means, 40 miles from Hare Street, in St Alban's, Herts, in a flat in 172 Fishpool Street [right], at the age of 56. She had somehow eluded being counted during the 1891 census.

Matilda would pass away in on 6 January 1933 while residing at 30 Portland-road (the address Emma Anna would be using at the time) in Bishops Stortford, Herts, and proved a legacy of £2,121 2s. 4d. Her executor was her sister, Elizabeth.


8.) Elizabeth Agnes Piper, appeared on the 1911 census as probably living in Edmonton, Middlesex, at the age of 50, but she passed away in Bishops Stortford in June 1935. She showed up on the 1891 census living in Thorley (I am unable to find the complete record on ancestry.com), but she managed to miss being counted on the 1901 census. In 1881, she was recorded as a resident of Thorley Wash Farm with her brother-in-law John and sister Hannah Patten, their children, and 4 servants.

In 1911, she may have been living with her brother, Francis, during his time in Middlesex, but she died near home in Herts, the probate reading "Administration (with Will)." She seems always to have lived in the care of, or caring for, her siblings, even before the passing of her parents.


9.) In 1911, Hannah Louisa Piper Patten, a sister who had married farmer John Edward Drury Patten, still lived at Thorley Wash Farm, just outside of Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, where she bore 5 children. John Patten would pass away on 16 August 1898.

Thorley Wash Farm must have been doing well: Patten's 1898 probate proved £14,091 13s. 3d. Executors were Hannah and her brother, George Parsey Piper. Hannah would die at Thorley Wash in 1930 and her probate shows her leaving £5,935 5s. 5d. Executors were her sons John Francis and Drury Dalzell Patten.


10.) Emma Anna's final sibling was Frederick Ebenezer Piper, born in January 1852.

In early 1873, he married Mary Meacher in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. She was the brother of well-to-do Charles Robert Meacher, Esq. Mary's brother passed away on 18 August 1876 in Watford, Herts, and his probate was listed as "Under £18,000." Spinster sisters Sarah Lucy and Agnes Meacham were executors, along with William Godden of 34 Old Jewry, Gentleman.

Ebenezer and Mary had two children, according to family trees on ancestry.com. He appeared outside the confines of his father's farm when the London Gazette carried this item on page 2457 of their 10 May 1881 edition:

Notice is hereby given, that the partnership heretofore existing between us the undersigned, Francis Albert Piper and Frederick Ebenezer Piper, carrying on business as brewers at the Albert and Bell Breweries, Horley in the county of Surrey, under the style or firm of Piper Brothers, was dissolved by mutual consent, as from the 25th day of March 1881. And all debts due to and owing by the said firm will be received and paid by the undersigned, Francis Albert Piper.—Dated this 3rd day of May 1881.

Francis A. Piper.
Fred. E. Piper.


At the same time that brother Robert was brewing on his own in Richmond, and Francis had found and severed ties with yet another partner in younger brother Ebenezer, who may have had some money through his bride.

What's odd is that Ebenezer and wife do not seem to appear on the 1881 or 1891census.

The National Archives at Kew list the following entry:

Papers relating to a loan D 123/25 1882-1893

Contents:
From Sarah Lucy Meacher and Agnes Dillon, to Frederick Ebenezer Piper for his brewery business in Hythe, Hants.

So, by 1882, Ebenezer was off to borrow money from his sister-in-laws, spinster Sarah, in Watford, and an Agnes Dillon (presumably the married name of Agnes Meachan above) for funds to open his own brewery.


It's hard to tell exactly how things worked out, but on page 4888, the London Gazette of 12 October 1883 reported:

NOTICE is hereby given, that the partnership heretofore existing between us the undersigned, Frederick Ebenezer Piper and Randall George Frederick Sweeting, carrying on business as brewers and maltsters at the Langdon Steam Brewery, Hythe, near Southampton, Hants, under the style or firm of Piper and Sweeting, has this day been dissolved by mutual consent, as from the 29th day of December 1883—Dated this 6th day of October 1883.

Fred. E. Piper.
Randall George Fredk. Sweeting.


We saw a snippet about Piper & Sweeting's brewery above. As noted, Ebenezer and Mary do not appear on either the 1881 or 1891 UK census.

Ebenezer, however, appears on the 1901 form at the age of 48. In that year, we find him living in St Margaret's Villa at 4 Benhill Road in Sutton, Surrey, obviously having returned from his days as a brewmaster in Hants.

His occupation is given as "living on own means," and the other person sharing the villa with him is his 44 year old widowed sister-in-law, Louisa Piper.

Sarah Louisa Piper was widowed, you'll recall from above, when Herbert Piper died in 1893.

It seems reasonable to think that this "sister-in-law" of Ebenezer's is Sarah Louisa, being called simply Louisa here.

How Ebenezer ended up hooking up and co-habiting with Louisa is unknown.

What happened to Mary Meacher Piper, I also don't know. There are simply too many Mary Pipers who died between 1881 and 1901 to determine which one she might have been. And why Ebenezer seemingly doesn't appear in the census counts for 1881 or 1891 is also unknown.

However, according to the blog The Breweries and Public Houses of Surrey, there was a public house described thusly:

The Three Tuns, High Street (NGR TQ 326508 (?) Situated 200 yards from the White Hart Inn and 200 yards from the Plough.

In 1892 described as a beerhouse owned by Frederick E Piper, of Horley, and tied to the Hornchurch Brewery Co, Hornchurch, Essex (formerly Youell & Elkin, brewers, Horley). The licensee was William Balcombe, and the premises described as a tramps lodging house.


That "Frederick E. Piper" is certainly our Ebenezer, and the "tramp house" [right] a place where it might been difficult to take an accurate census count.

Ebenezer, however, died back home in Bishops Stortford in September of 1930, returning to his place of birth as most of the siblings did near the end.


That explores the entire cast of siblings of Emma Anna Piper Clarke, mother of Egerton Clarke, in the year of 1911. The situation was thus:

Six were dead or about to die that year, leaving just four besides herself.


● Widowed sister Hannah Patten, 62, was relatively wealthy and living in Thorley, Herts, near Bishops Stortford. Hannah would die at Thorley in 1930.


● Spinster sister Elizabeth 60, was residing in Edmonton, Middlesex, in 1911 after living for years with Hannah at Thorley. She eventually would pass away in Bishops Stortford in 1935.


● Spinster sister Matilda, 66, was living once again in Bishops Stortford, probably at 30 Portland-road [left], in 1911 after appearing on the 1901 census alone and living by her own means in a flat in St Alban's.


● Brother Ebenezer, 59, was also living in Bishops Stortford in 1911, and it probably won't surprise you to discover that widowed sister-in-law, Sarah Louisa Piper, about 52, was living there as well.

Sarah Louisa's 22 year old daughter, Mildred Louisa, also was living in Hertford, Herts, in 1911. In 1901, she had been a 12 year old "school girl" at the London Orphan Asylum's District Girls School [below, right] in Watford, Hertfordshire, while her mother lived with in-law Ebenezer Piper.

One wonders why. Was it a chance for a free education—and a decent one at that, if past opinion is to be believed? Was it just that there was no money in a home 'living by its own means' to support Mildred? Is there another reason I simply cannot imagine?


Emma Anna Piper Clarke had been born on 1 December 1857, the youngest of all of the Piper siblings, and would have been 53 years old in 1911 when the census was taken.

Emma Anna still had a handful of kin back in Bishops Stortford in that year, although older than she, along with an in-law. What could have happened to her? Why wasn't she there, with them, in that 1911 census count?

There are 5 Emma Clarkes on the 1911 UK census who could be our Emma. They were living in Durham, Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire—none of which seem very proximate to a place she would probably want to be: Near her child or her family. They could be Emma Anna, but are probably not, unless she took herself far afield.

Given the UK census's propensity, however, often to have middle names entered instead of Christian names (like Ebenezer and Louisa above), I tried "Anna Piper." Using the same year of birth, we end up with this:



That top entry may not be our Anna, but, again, the Annas in the other possible locations—here Nottinghamshire and Sussex—don't seem at all likely to be Emma Anna Clarke, actually far less so.

The siblings in Bishops Stortford were all listed as members of "households" in 1911.

Did their sister, Emma Anna, end up in the workhouse at Watford, Herts? 54 is a bit old for attending a school...

There are no solid primary sources available to me that would describe conditions in the Watford workhouse [right] in that era. However, it is near the workhouse in Bishops Stortford, and was designed by the same gentleman. Reading the report of the commission set up by the British Medical Journal, 1894-95, to inspect the workhouse makes it seem not quite as awful as the institutions portrayed by Dickens—as long as you can get past the sewage. [Read about it HERE.]


One thing that we can feel better about: It appears that young Egerton Clarke, Emma Anna's 11-year-old son does not appear to have been in a workhouse in 1911.

Here's the information found on the 1911census.co.uk website regarding young Egerton:



It seemed unusual that a school situated in an historic English cathedral city like Canterbury—and which is today in the district of Canterbury—would have been listed as having been within the district of village of Blean in 1911. Today, it is the other way around: Blean is within the Canterbury district.

That said, clever researcher and friend of this website, Jennifer M., found out where Egerton was... indirectly.

Wikipedia lists the names of the Headmasters & Headmistresses of St Edmund's School in Canterbury, which, you'll recall was established for the orphans of clerics. (In the United States, "orphan" would imply that a child has no living parents, but we learned above, in the case of Mildred Piper, that having a dead father and a living mother would have been enough to consider a child an orphan in England at the time.)

Jennifer used the name of Walter Burnside, who was Headmaster of St Edmund's from 1908 to 1932 and came up with this information:



Brilliant, Jennie!

And so we find that Walter Burnside was also residing in an "institution" in Blean, Kent, during 1911—a time we know he was serving as Headmaster at St Edmund's.

St Edmund's School today takes children of the ages 3 to 18. Hopefully, Jennifer's cleverness demonstrates clearly that young Egerton already had been enrolled at the school by 1911, no matter where his mother may have been. And, as it was a school for orphans, it was unlikely he would have been the beneficiary of any great amount of money bestowed upon him by his wealthy Aunt Hannah in Thorley (on his mother's side of the family) or his rich Uncle Egerton (on his father's side).


Next time, we'll tighten the focus on Egerton as the Great Britain moves on to the next challenge to the Empire: The First World War.

And it's at that point that we'll discover the link between Egerton Arthur Crossman Clarke and our own George Ramsay Acland Mills.