838498 Pte. Clarence Hill Darling was born on March 1st, 1892, in the town of Exeter, located in Huron Township, Ontario.


Moving to Durham, Clarence was working as a chemist when he attested into the 147th Battalion, in Owen Sound, on January 6th, 1916, where he was assigned to "C" Company.


Billeted locally over the winter the 147th Battalion mobilized in Owen Sound in the spring of 1916 and left for training at Camp Niagara. As the conditions in the Camp were wanting the unit moved to the new training facility of Camp Borden in late June. In September the unit received their orders to proceed overseas, but due to an outbreak of diphtheria they were detained in Amherst, Nova Scotia, for over a month.


By the time the unit finally sailed for Great Britain, aboard the S. S. Olympic, on November 14th 1916, Clarence had attended the rank of Lance-Corporal.


On January 1st, 1917, the 147th Battalion ceased to exist when it became the nucleus for the 8th Reserve Battalion, whose task it was to supply reinforcements to the 58th Battalion and the 4th C.M.R. On September 23rd, 1917, Clarence, having relinquished his rank, was taken on strength of the 4th C.M.R. as a Private. He joined his new unit in field a little more than a week after they had come out of the support lines in the Vimy area to billets at Cambligneul, in France.


Clarence saw service with the 4th C.M.R. through the summer of 1917 but was wounded on October 26th, during the Battle of Passchendaele. However, he saw the war out and was struck off strength on June 26th, 1919.


Returning to Durham, Clarence married Jessie Witthun and passed away in 1966. He lies at rest in Durham Cemetery.






Biography credit: George Auer