Major Gregory Clark
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PERSONAL INFORMATION
MILITARY INFORMATION
- Captain (Army). 1918-10-05 to 1918-12-31
- Captain (Army). 1918-10-02 to 1918-10-05
- Major (Army). 1918-09-14 to 1918-10-01
- Captain (Army). 1917-09-20 to 1918-09-13
- Lieutenant (Army). 1916-11-23 to 1917-09-20
- Lieutenant (Army). 1916-08-30 to 1916-11-21
- Lieutenant (Army). 1916-03-27 to 1916-08-15
Military Cross (Vimy Ridge) For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He assumed command of and led his company with great ability, gained his objective, and consolidated the position. He set a fine example of courage and initiative.
Description:
Date of award: 1917-07-26
Date of award: 1917-09-04
Source: London Gazette No. 30204, pg. 7644, and Canada Gazette 22-Sept-1917, P905
Comment: Military Cross won as a Lieutenant with the 4CMR at Vimy Ridge
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Date of award: 1946-07-06
Source: Canada Gazette Volume 27, pg. 4410
RESEARCH INFORMATION
Discharged due to demobilization at Ottawa, Ontario, December 31, 1918. Brother of Lieutenant Joseph William Greig Clark, RAF.
Newspaperman, soldier, outdoorsman, and humorist.
During the Great War he went overseas as a Lieutenant with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles (joined in the field on 23-11-1916, later became Captain, and was Acting Major/Adjutant from 28-12-1917 to 29-8-1918. He was Struck off Strength from the 4th CMR on 2-10-1918.
He won the Military Cross at Vimy Ridge, the only surviving officer in his company.
He was the principle reason for the high quality of the 4th CMR Regimental Diary.
The son of Joseph Thomas Clark and Sarah Louisa Greig, Gregory Clark was married to Helen Scott Murray on August 15, 1916, just days before he shipped overseas during the Great War and did not see his bride again for 2 years, 309 days.
He returned to the Toronto Star as a reporter and for the next 30 years he covered major news events, including the Great Haileybury Fire of 1922, the Lindbergh Kidnap Trial and many others. One of his friends/coworkers at The Star was Ernest Hemmingway. He began to write humour stories for the Star's companion publication, the Toronto Star Weekly, later the Weekender which appeared in many Canadian newspapers. The most popular of these featured the comic misadventures of Clark and his hunting and fishing companion, cartoonist Jimmie Frise.
In WWII Clark went overseas as a war correspondent. His son, Lt James Murray Clark, was killed in action near Rouen on September 17, 1944 while serving with the Regina Rifles. He was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and awarded the Service Medal of the Order of Canada (see Canada Gazette July 6, 1967). Author of 13 books and countless articles,
See also
Canadian Journalism Foundation and click on the biography link
The Legacy Voices Project is the process of digitizing Greg Clark's military records for November 11th,2013
To learn more about his experiences in both the Great War and WW II see his book "Gregory Clark War Stories" - The Ryerson Press 1964 355.1 C5g 1964 c.1A great read of short stories.Source: The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, 1914 - 1919 (1926, Captain S.G.Bennett)http://contentdm.ucalgary.ca/u?/cmh,39960 http://www.4cmr.com/index.htm War Diarieshttp://www.cefresearch.com/matrix/index.html
Enlisted as a private, but transferred to officer training with the Central Ontario Regiment, (date not stated on file). He got married about a week before sailing for England. Sailed with a COR officer draft aboard SS Olympic from Halifax to Liverpool, August 24-30. Lieutenant Army Canadian Mounted Rifles 4th Regiment Canadian Mounted Rifles D Company Proceeded to France on being posted to the 4th CMR. Joined the battalion at Etrun. Awarded the Military Cross on July 26 for his actions at Vimy Ridge.On leave to England from August 22 to September 01. Captain Army Canadian Mounted Rifles 4th Regiment Canadian Mounted Rifles Headquarters Company September 20, 1917, appointed Acting Captain.Appointed Battalion Adjutant on December 28, and promoted to Captain a week later.Granted leave to England on June 22, 1918. The leave was extended, and he reported back to the battalion on July 12. Appointed Acting Major in 1st Central Ontario Regimental Depot and proceeded to England. He relinquished the acting rank effective September 30.