This man is a candidate for addition to Keighley's Supplementary Volume under the proposal to add further names in 2024. Click here to go to the Main page
Supported by the National Lottery's Heritage Lottery Fund, our project intends to submit about 120 names for peer review to add them to the book which is kept at Keighley Library. The unveiling of the book with it's new names is planned for November 2024, 100 years after the unveiling of the original war memorial.
Able Seaman. Royal Naval Reserve. H.M.S.Good Hope. Service No. 205888.
Early life:
Charles was born in Leeds on 3rd July 1882. His birth was registered at Skipton in the last quarter of the year and his parents were William and Ellen Clarke née Prior. William was employed as a plasterer.
In the 1891 census Charles was aged nine years and was living at Union Yard in Addingham with his mother Ellen and siblings George Edward aged 17, John aged 12, Mary aged 4 and Albert aged 2. There is no mention of their father William.
Their mother Ellen died aged 44 in October 1897 and was buried on 30th October at St. Peter's Church, Addingham.
Charles began his service with the Royal Navy on 4th August 1899 at the boy's training ship hulk, HMS Northampton until 17th October 1899. He was 17 years old and a farm servant at the time he enlisted. His initial rank was 'Boy, second class' and he served on the Comus Class Steam Corvette HMS Curacoa from 18th October 1899. This vessel was a training cruiser and he was promoted to 'Boy first class' during this period and serving aboard her until 17th April 1900. He was then transferred to HMS Victory on 18th April where he was promoted to Ordinary Seaman on 3rd July 1900 on his 18th birthday and he then began his engagement of 12 years service. Throughout his service, his character was consistently rated as 'very good.'
He was described as 5 feet four inches tall with light brown hair and blue eyes, with a fresh complexion. He had a scar on the back of his right hand and a large scar on the left side of his neck.
On 11th July 1900 Charles was transferred to HMS Duke of Wellington which had been the flagship of the Port Admiral at Portsmouth. He served aboard her until 31st October 1900, when he transferred to HMS Glory on 1st November. She was a Canopus Class Pre-Dreadnought Battleship and was assigned to the China Station from 1901 to 1905 so Charles would have served aboard her for some of this time, being promoted to Able Seaman on 1st January 1903.
He left HMS Glory on 18th February that year for a spell on the special service yacht HMS Firequeen.
On 5th June 1904 he was transferred to HMS Excellent which was the shore establishment at Portsmouth and Charles served there until 14th February 1905 when he was back with HMS Firequeen temporarily for just four days, then he was sent to HMS Renown where he served until 1st April 1905, when he went into the Royal Fleet Reserve at Portsmouth, which was to last until until 2nd July 1912. This would have meant he returned home and had to attend a week's annual training and was paid a retainer fee.
On 15th September 1906, Charles was 23 and employed as a slater's labourer when he married Martha Ibbetson at the parish church of Christ-Church at High Harrogate. Charles' home address was 56, Ash Grove in Ilkley and Martha's was at 11, Mafekin Street, Harrogate. She was 24 years of age. They had three children who were Lillian born 29th July 1907, Charles born 2nd March 1909, and Albert born in 1912.
In the 1911 census Charles and Martha were both aged 28 and living at 11, York Street, Worth Village in Keighley, with their two children, Lilian aged three and Charles Junior aged two.
Charles was a labourer in the building trade.
Perhaps Charles was unhappy doing that kind of work, because he re-enrolled with the Royal Navy on 4th August 1911, agreeing to serve until 2nd July 1917.
War service:
Charles is named in Keighley's Gallant Sons, which is a list of early volunteers, it is specifically mentioned that he died very early in the war.
The entry reads: (Clarke, Chas. Prior | 11, York St, Keighley. | Lost of HMS Good Hope.)
During his period with the Royal Naval Reserve, he was transferred to HMS Good Hope, a Drake Class armoured cruiser, joining her on 13th July 1914. On 8th August they became part of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Christopher Cradock and voyaged to the South Atlantic in September.
They took part in the Battle of Coronel, in which the squadron including the lead ships HMS Good Hope and HMS Monmouth, were up against the German Cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau which were better armed and faster, they outclassed Good Hope and Monmouth and our ships were both sunk with all hands on 1st November 1914. A total of 926 crew were lost from Good Hope and 734 from Monmouth, totalling 1,660 crew from the two ships.
Post war:
Charles is remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
Locally he is named on the Addingham War Memorial and St. Peter's Church war memorial
His wife Martha would have received any outstanding pay due to him along with his medal entitlement of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. She was living at 9, Rose Street in Keighley after the war.
She was aged 40 years and 2 months and living as Pattie Clark at 18, York Street, boarding with Mr and Mrs Gurnett. With Martha were Lilian aged 13 years and 11 months; Charlie aged 12 years and 4 months and Albert aged 10 years and 11 months. (Pattie is another name for Martha.)
Information sources:
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910
1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1985
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935
England & Wales Births 1837-2006
1911 England Census
UK, Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services, 1848-1939
British Royal Navy Seamen 1899-1924
National Archives
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Royal Navy and Royal Marine War Graves Roll, 1914-1919
Naval Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1972
British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1730-1960
De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, 1914-1919
World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923
Craven's Part in the Great War: www.cpgw.org
1921 Census.