Acting Sergeant Douglas Clark

Douglas Clark is regarded as one of the greatest ever Rugby League forwards and was enjoying a successful sporting career before the outbreak of the First World War. But by 1917, he was among the British soldiers fighting in the Battle of Passchendaele.

Clark was born in Ellenborough, Cumberland in 1891. After being spotted playing rugby for junior club Brookland Rovers, he signed to play for Huddersfield in 1909. He was a talented player known for being more than just a powerhouse and went on to represent his country on a tour of Australia and New Zealand.

During the war, Clark joined the Army Service Corps and rose to the rank of Acting Sergeant. He continued to demonstrate his sporting skill and competed in wrestling bouts within the army, receiving a trophy for one exhibition bout.

Douglas Clark Lives of the First World War

Portrait photograph of Douglas Clark, who is regarded as one of the greatest ever Rugby League forwards.

In June 1917, Clark took part in the Battle of Messines and was gassed twice that year, in July and October.

During the Battle of Passchendaele, he helped bring forward an ammunition column whilst under heavy fire. In his diary, he wrote, “the place was turned into hell”. He suffered severe arm and abdominal wounds from shrapnel and was awarded the Military Medal for his actions.

After the war, he returned to his rugby career and continued to play for Huddersfield until his retirement in 1929. He continued wrestling becoming the British Empire Heavyweight Championship. He was referred to as the ‘strongest man on the planet’ before he retired aged 50.

Clark died in 1951 but is still remembered for his extraordinary sporting talent. In 2005, he was inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame and objects related to his military service and sporting achievements are on display at IWM North.

Related Content

Officers of HMS KENT enjoying a free for all game of deck hockey under the shadow of the cruiser's 8 inch guns. Whenever possible the game is played for exercise each afternoon both at sea and in port.

Sports and entertainment

A Short History Of Sports In Wartime

In 1945 George Orwell wrote that serious sport was 'war minus the shooting'. He argued that sport was not a means of promoting peace between nations but was more likely to cause tensions than solve them. Three years after Orwell’s article was published, Britain hosted the Olympic Games in London.

Men of the West Yorkshire Regiment sitting in a captured German pill box waiting to go into action, near the St Julien - Grafenstafel road during the Battle of Polygon Wood, 26 September - 3 October, part of the Battle of Passchendaele.

First World War

Voices of the First World War: Passchendaele

Episode 31: The Ypres Salient was one of the most intensely fought over sections of the Western Front. Hear about the British high command's plans in early 1917 to seize control of the area once and for all.

First World War

Voices of the First World War: Sport In War

Episode 19: Sports and games were important to those who served during the First World War. Both when officially organised and on a more ad hoc basis, sport kept them fit and provided a welcome distraction from what was going on around them.