7851 Pte George William Clarke, 2nd Suffolk Regiment
Arrived overseas: 15 August 1914. Connection: Postcards (x3). These two photos of Private George William Clarke of the 2nd Suffolk Regiment were taken when he was incarcerated at Chemnitz PoW camp. Born in 1888, George had joined the Suffolk Regiment in 1906, and in the photo on the left, you can clearly see the three good conduct chevrons on his lower left arm which indicate at least 12 years' service. As the photo dates to 1918 this ties in perfectly with George's 1906 enlistment. It also confirms that men's GC badge entitlements were updated, even when they were prisoners of war. George had arrived overseas on the 15th August 1914 and he was captured at Le Cateau on the 26th August 1915. His Chemnitz PoW number can clearly be seen above his left jacket pocket, whislt the number 12 on his collar his an anachronistic nod to the 12th Regiment of Foot which would become the Suffolk Regiment in July 1881.