Lionel Beaumaurice (Leo) Clarke, V.C. 1892-1916
Born near Waterdown, Ontario, Leo Clarke moved to Winnipeg in 1903. He enlisted with the 27th Battalion, C.E.F. in February 1915 and transferred to the 2nd Canadian Battalion later that year. On September 9, 1916, on the Somme battlefront, though wounded, Corporal Clarke single-handedly defended a recently-won trench. Using a revolver and two captured rifles he repulsed an attack by two enemy officers and about twenty others, thus helping to secure the Canadian position. For his courageous action he received the British Empire's highest award for valour, the Victoria Cross. Before his award was announced, however, Corporal Clarke was killed in battle on October 19, 1916, and is buried near Le Havre, France.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.