Portrait of Thomas Welsby Clark

Studio portrait of S/4449 Ordinary Seaman (OS) Thomas Welsby Clark, HMAS St Giles, of New Farm, Qld. OS Clark enlisted on 23 August 1940 and trained at HMAS St Giles and HMAS Cerberus. On 19 August 1941 he became a crew member of HMAS Sydney. On 23 August he achieved the rating of Able Seaman (AB). AB Clark was one of 645 crew men who lost their lives following the engagement between HMAS Sydney and the German cruiser Kormoran off the coast of Western Australia on 20 November 1941. AB Clark was 20 years of age. On 19 November 2021 Thomas Welsby Clark was named as the previously unidentified HMAS Sydney casualty whose body had been recovered and buried. Extensive research over 15 years including analyasis of DNA, genealogical research, photographic comparisons as well as archaeological assessment were used to conclude his identity.