Auction Catalogue

24 & 25 June 2009

Starting at 2:00 PM

.

Orders, Decorations and Medals

Washington Mayfair Hotel  London  W1J 5HE

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Lot

№ 1054

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25 June 2009

Hammer Price:
£2,600

A fine Second World War North Africa operations M.M. group of five awarded to Private D. B. Clark, Royal Durban Light Infantry - ‘If I told him that there was a Panzer Division around the corner, he would tackle it with a rifle and bayonet without hesitation’

Military Medal, G.VI.R. (2650 Pte. D. B. Clark, 2 R.D.L.I.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45; Africa Service Medal 1939-45, these last four all officially inscribed, ‘2650 D. B. Clartk’, mounted as worn, generally extremely fine (5) £1200-1500

M.M. London Gazette 24 February 1942. The original recommendation states:

‘On 19 December 1941, the Platoon of which Private Clark is a member was ordered to capture an enemy M.G. post, which was found to be strongly held by the enemy in the frontier area near Halfaya. In the face of enemy artillery and M.G. fire, Private Clark accompanied his Platoon Commander, Lieutenant Anderson, through an enemy minefield in full view of the enemy, with complete disregard for his own safety.

The post was eventually captured after hand-to-hand fighting, numerous casualties being inflicted on the enemy and 12 P.O.Ws taken. The Platoon held the position until dusk in the face of heavy fire from enemy M.Gs and field artillery, and repeated attacks by several enemy tanks, the latter being unable to reach the position owing to the minefield.

Private Clark was conspicuous in turning on to the enemy a captured Italian mortar.

At dusk, Private Clark assisted his Platoon Commander to carry one of the men who was badly wounded through the minefield to an armoured car which had approached to within some 400 yards. He then returned with his Platoon Commander to the occupied position

Throughout the action Private Clark showed coolness, enterprise and bravery in the face of the enemy and rendered great assistance to his Platoon Commander.’


David Briscoe Clark was born in London in 1922 and settled in South Africa with his parents at an early age, being educated at the Boys’ High School, Cradock and the Glenwood High School, Durban. An employee of the United Tobacco Company, he enlisted in the Union Defence Forces in 1940, and was posted to ‘B’ Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Durban Light Infantry in North Africa. And it was to the same unit, in December 1941, that fell the task of storming an enemy position near Halfaya. Clark’s Platoon C.O., Lieutenant George Anderson, later described the action in a letter to Clark’s mother:

‘Please accept my congratulations on being the mother of such a brave son. He is excessively modest, I’m afraid, but I can tell you some of the details of the actions for which he received his M.M.

As you know, we carried out an attack on 19 December on what was originally believed to be a lightly held enemy post. Actually it turned out to be strongly held with machine-guns, mortars and anti-tank artillery. It was also under artillery fire from one of the main defences just West of Halfaya. However, once we started I had no option but to go on. David was in the leading section, which lost its Section Commander early on.

When we reached the enemy wire, I found I had lost the smoke-grenade which I was carrying, and shouted a query whether anybody else had one. Your son replied that he had one and I told him to run forward, and indicated a point at which to throw the bomb. He got up without hesitation, although it meant attracting all the fire, and ran forward to a point from which he could reach the spot I wanted the smokescreen to start from. The fire was particularly hot as five others of the section had already been hit.

Under cover of the screen we managed to get through the wire, and I put myself into rather a stupid position. David came right in and did great work shooting down the enemy as they bobbed up to throw hand grenades. He then assisted me in turning the enemy mortar and working it.

We were pinned down for a long time by a heavy barrage, during which Morton, of No. 8 Section, was badly hit by a shell. The tanks counter-attacked, but could not get at us owing to the circular shape of the minefield.

When our armoured cars came up, David was one of the men who carried Morton under fire from the enemy tanks, and it was this fact, in addition to his behaviour in the early stages of the attack that caused him to be recommended for the award in preference to several others.





I ordered those who carried Morton out to get away on the cars, as we had received orders to pull out with the prisoners. Their courage was the only thing that saved his life, because he was already going cold when we got him away, and we had to wait until dark before we could withdraw with the remainder of the Platoon. He would have certainly died if we had to wait all that time before getting him to a doctor.

I am glad to say the experience has, if anything, made him more blood-thirsty than ever. If I told him that there was a Panzer Division around the corner, he would tackle it with rifle and bayonet without hesitation.

Many thanks again for your kind letter, and congratulations again on your fine son (though you mustn’t tell him I said so!).’

On 14 July 1942, Anderson was compelled to write to the recipient’s mother in somewhat different terms:

‘Just a line to offer you my sympathy on the temporary loss of David as a prisoner of war. I was not with the Platoon when Tobruk fell, but I know he was unhurt at a late stage of the fight. There is no need for me to tell you how brave David is, and I only hope he didn’t do anything rash. Hoping he will be restored to you safe and sound in the near future.’

Clark had indeed been taken P.O.W. and was finally liberated from Stalag VIIIB at Teschen in May 1945.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including the above quoted letters from Lieutenant George Anderson of ‘B’ Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Durban Light Infantry, in which he describes the deeds that won Clark his M.M., and the circumstances of him being taken P.O.W.; a congratulatory letter from Colonel G. Molyneux, Hon. Colonel of the Royal Durban Light Infantry, dated 17 February 1942, and another of the same date to the recipient’s mother; Kriegsgefangenenpost card, bearing official stamps from Stalag VIIIB, being a message home to his parents, dated 3 March 1945 (and finally received at Port Alfred in South Africa in February 1946); his discharge certificate, and a wartime photograph and newspaper cutting.