Who was James Douglas Clarke?
I'm Andrew G Morris and James Clarke (Jim) was my Grandfather, or Grandad as we call them in the Black Country.
I knew him very well and we discussed many things weekly until he died in 1982 when I was 22.
I have always been interested in his military record not because of what he achieved but what he did whilst serving in WWII. He told many of the family of this era of his adventures at Dunkirk, the deserts of North Africa, Italy and finally in Northern Germany where he was witness to the final days of the Nazi regime.
Born in Bilston on January 15th 1919 to Herbert and Ellen Clarke, he served firstly in the 1/6th South Staffordshire Regiment - part of the Territorial Army. He then transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1940 to 1946.
In 2026, I was bequeathed the letters he wrote to my Grandmother (Nan) during this time. These reveal a deep love of each other but also the strains of seperation - he did not see my Nan for a number of years from around late 1940 until 1943. These letters also reveal the means and news that they used to keep in touch with - items such as cigarettes, photographs, trinkets from around the world.
If you are a member of the family, you may wish to view these letters with these thoughts in mind - an different world to our generations that have grown up since without these strains and privations.
My wish is that this archive will be preserved by other family members to pass onto future generations, so we may learn the lessons these letter reveal, and appreciate where we came from.
Andrew G Morris. August 2026