The main assault of the
Battle of Flers-Courcelette was scheduled for 15 September 1916. Its objective was to occupy a chain of trenches between
Martinpuich and
Courcelette. On 1 September 1916, Clarke's battalion was charged with capturing a 50-yard-long
salient between the Canadian position at
Mouquet Farm and Courcelette to the north. On 9 September 1916, near
Pozières, France, the first three companies of Clarke's
battalion went over the top, leaving the fourth in reserve. Clarke, an acting
corporal at the time, was assigned to take a
section to clear the enemy on the left flank to allow his company sergeant to build a fortified dugout that would secure the Canadian position once the salient was overrun. When his section reached the trench, it was so heavily defended that they had to battle their way through with
hand grenades,
bayonets and their
rifles as clubs. Clarke was the only man left standing; the rest had either been killed or wounded. At that time, about 20 Germans, including two officers, counter-attacked. Clarke advanced, emptying his revolver into their ranks. He then picked up two enemy rifles and fired those too. One of the officers attacked with a bayonet, wounding Clarke in the leg, but Clarke shot him dead. The Germans retreated, but Clarke pursued, shooting four more and capturing a fifth. In all, Clarke killed 19 of the enemy, capturing one. The citation in
The London Gazette reads: , Winnipeg, in 2014
Variation from The London Gazette citation The account in
The London Gazette differed from the experiences related by Leo Clarke to his brother Charles (Charlie) while recuperating shortly after the events of 9 September 1916. As an acting corporal, Clarke was not permitted to have, wear, or use a side-arm, however he had won a
Colt Model 1905 Marine Corps and two extra magazines from a group of U.S. soldiers in a card game. As this sidearm was neither of
British Expeditionary Force issue, nor sanctioned for use by infantrymen, it was neither referenced officially nor represented correctly in the tinplate engraving which accompanied the
Gazette article—it was represented as a
Webley Revolver (a British weapon). The account in
The London Gazette had Acting Corporal Clarke 'advancing' however, per Clarke's recounting to his brother, he held his position in the trench and while bracing himself against the side (as he still had a bayonet through his thigh), Clarke took steady aim and shot them dead one by one as the enemy rounded a turn some distance away—claiming one life for each of the 21 rounds he had. It was once his pistol was empty, he picked up a German rifle and proceeded down the trench and after making the turn where the Germans had come, he found several soldiers, a sergeant, and an officer. He demanded their surrender but the officer ordered the men to fight. Clarke shot him dead and the remaining soldiers surrendered. It was only after he returned to his own lines with the prisoners that he—and his prisoners—discovered that the rifle he carried was empty. According to his brother Charles, the actions of the day (and the shooting one by one of the soldiers with the side-arm) troubled Leo deeply that
The London Gazette account wasn't challenged, but contributed to Clarke's lack of enthusiasm for the honour. Charles Clarke completed an unpublished memoir (still in the hands of the Clarke family) which was a source for the 2014 book
Valour Road. ==Death==