Adelbert Edward Clark was born in Thorold Township, Ontario. His father died when he was only seven and his mother, only a few years later. He had been working to support himself since he left school at the age of 14 years. He declared his friend, Orlin Beaucock of Thorold, as his next of kin.
Adelbert had considerable experience in construction. He was a Bridgeman working for the Canadian National Railroad in Sioux Lookout, Ontario when he enlisted in Fort William on 1 November 1941. He had previously worked on the construction of the Welland Canal that flowed through his hometown.
On enlistment, Adelbert was sent to Number 102 Basic Training Centre in Fort William. Returning from Christmas leave in January 1942, he left for A6 Canadian Engineer Training Centre in Camp Chilliwack, BC. In August 1942, he attended a Bricklayers Course that Vancouver Technical School and qualified as Bricklayer Group ‘C’.
Adelbert remained in Chilliwack until Christmas 1943 when he was sent to the Canadian Engineer Reinforcement Centre in England, arriving in early January 1944. He was posted to the 2nd Field Company in June 1944 and landed in France on 5 July along with other elements of the 2nd Canadian Division.
The 2nd Field Company had spent the better part of the previous year and a half perfecting their bridging skills and practising mine lifting and route clearance. Disembarking in France a month after the initial landings, they immediately got to work clearing the routes through Caen, bridging the Orne River and participating in the key battles to close the Falaise Gap. They worked on the approaches to the Seine and participated in operations to cross the river. An advanced reconnaissance party from the unit were among the first Canadian soldiers to re-enter Dieppe when it fell on 1 September 1944.
By 10 September, the company was in Ostend, Belgium putting the routes in and out of the port back into operation. By the end of September, they had worked their way as far as Antwerp and were preparing for operations to clear the Beveland Approaches.
On 1 October, 1 Platoon had two sections out to widen a road and clear a minefield. At about 1000 hours, and for no apparent reason, two Teller mines and a string of Hawkins grenades exploded killing Sgt Hunter and mortally wounding Spr Clark. The two soldiers were buried in Antwerp with a small ceremony. Sapper Abelbert Edward Clark was 39 years old and had no immediate family when he died.
Return to Part 5: Tributes to the Fallen Sappers of the Scheldt