Lieutenant Colonel James Averell Clark was born on 7 September 1920 in Westbury, Nassau County, New York, USA, the elder child of James Averell Clark (1893-1960) and Helen Louise Eustis Clark née Hitchcock (1898-1979).
His brother, Thomas Hitchcock Clark, who was born on 15 July 1922 would later serve as a Flight Sergeant in the Royal Air Force's No.132 Squadron and was killed in action on 15 March 1944 in France.
Our Picture source outlines his career and confirms that he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on 19 December 1941 and initially served as a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force's No.71 (Eagle) Squadron. The citations for his awards of the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross with 4 Bronze and 1 Silver Oak Leaf Clusters, can be found on The Hall of Valor website.
On 19 April 1944 he married Lady Bridget Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (1921-2005), a daughter of the 5th Earl of Minto, in the Marylebone registration district and they had one child, Christopher Clark (b.1949). They divorced in 1954 and he married Armene Lamson (b.1921) later that year.
He died, aged 69 years, on 10 January 1990 in New York, USA and on 16 January 1990 he was buried in Section 52, Lot 7882, in the Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, New York, USA.
His obituary in the New York Times confirmed that he was survived by his wife, Armene; a daughter, Carey, of Manhattan; a son Christopher, of Norfolk, England, and two grandchildren.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
