Family historians often talk about the `thrill of the hunt’, being the most satisfying aspect of family history research. This is the process of using family history detective skills to analyse known facts, identify useful clues, and painstakingly going through all available records in the hope of finding that crucial piece of information—ultimately leading to the long-awaited ‘Eureka!’ moment.
I was recently given a task that I thought would be impossible to answer and which really tested my research skills. As luck would have it, I found that one important clue, which was enough to lead me down a fascinating research path, until I eventually had my own `Eureka’ moment. It occurred earlier this year, when I was handed a framed photograph of an unknown WWI soldier and was asked to find out who he was.
The photograph had been discovered by one of our Security staff during a routine morning check of the La Trobe Reading Room. Whilst walking through the room he saw the photograph propped on one of our desks, under a green desk light. A tiny Post-it note was attached to the frame, bearing the message – `Can you please return this to the family?’ The photo, from Monteath Studio, Melbourne, bore the inscription `Yours sincerely Hal. 30/7/16’.
Upon examining the photograph, I could see there was very little to go on – that I’d probably have no luck identifying Hal; and without knowing who he was, there would be no way that I’d be able to return the photo to his family. Yet at the same time, I felt compelled to give it my best shot – partly because it was such a poignant portrait, but also because I was moved that someone had such faith in the skills of the State Library’s reference librarians.
My first step was to analyse the photograph, which showed that Hal was a WWI soldier, who was in Melbourne in July 1916 – when the photograph was taken. I also knew that the name Hal was probably a nickname – Hal being a common diminutive form of such names as Henry, Harold and Harry. Not being a military expert, I approached my colleague David Flegg, who confirmed that Hal was wearing the uniform of the Australian Infantry Force (AIF) and that the insignia on his uniform meant that he was an officer – possibly a lieutenant.
My next step was to see if I could identify any AIF soldiers named Hal, who had served in WWI. Using the Australian War Memorial’s Search for a person index I tried searching for each of the proper names that Hal stood for, and then limited the results to those who fought in the First World War. But of course, this brought up thousands of results. Next, I searched for each of these names in the National Archives of Australia’s (NAA) digitised collection of WWI service records – but once again there were too many. I then explored the Australian War Memorial’s index to First World War Embarkation Rolls, which allowed me to search by name, role title and place of embarkation. Although this cut the results down considerably it still wasn’t possible to determine if any of the listed soldiers was Hal. By this stage I was starting to think that it was indeed an impossible task.
The following morning, I happened to show the photograph to my colleague, Angus Hamilton. As he stood examining it, the sunlight caught the back of the frame, revealing some faint handwriting that had previously gone unnoticed. As we took a closer look we managed to decipher the words: `Killed in action 16/9/17′. This was one of those bittersweet moments, where I was thrilled to find a tangible piece of information, but also devastated to know that this young soldier had died, just 14 months after the photo was taken.
Close-up of the back of the frame. `Yours sincerely Hal’ 30/7/16, 1916, Monteath Studio, Melbourne
With this new piece of information I returned to the Australian War Memorial’s First World War – Roll of Honour for a list of military personnel who died on September 16, 1917. It retrieved 38 results, but only one was an officer with the initial H – Harold Ross Clark. Could this possibly be Hal?
I then started searching through a range of family history resources, desperate to find out more about Harold Ross Clark. On the Commonwealth War Graves website I found a record of his burial, which included a transcription of his headstone, place of burial, and names of family members. Through the National Archives of Australia (NAA) I located his service record, which contained a wealth of information. It all looked promising, but I still couldn’t be sure that Harold Ross Clark was actually Hal.
A selection of pages from the service record of Lieutenant Harold Ross Clark. Images courtesy of the National Archives of Australia NAA: B2455, CLARK H R
I then turned to the Trove Digitised Newspaper database, and it was here that I struck gold. A search for the phrase `Harold Ross Clark’ retrieved sixteen articles. As I opened the first article – ‘Their lives for the Empire‘, the portraits of three WWI soldiers appeared. The moment I saw the first portrait, I knew I had reached my ‘Eureka!’ moment. It was the same soldier as the one in the framed photograph. I had found Hal!
The article reported on the deaths of Harold (Hal) Ross Clark, his brother Jack in Pozieres in August 1916, and his brother-in-law Hubert (Hugh) Percy Fraser in Bullecourt in May 1917.
By reading through additional newspaper articles and Harold’s service record, I managed to piece together his story. Harold enlisted in July 1915 and was initially stationed at Royal Park before being transferred to Seymour, where he helped train recruits. In February 1917, he sailed for England aboard the troopship SS Ballarat. During the voyage, the ship was torpedoed and sank in the English Channel. Harold survived the incident and, on 13 August 1917, proceeded to France. One month later, he was detached with a party carrying trench mortar shells – when they came under heavy enemy fire, Harold was killed instantly.
Harold left behind his wife, Doris, and their two young sons: Laurance (Laurie), aged 20 months, and Douglas (Dougie), who was only 12 days old when his father was killed.
Having identified Harold my next step was to try and find information on his descendants, beginning with his sons – Laurance Ross and Harold Douglas Ross. A search of the Victorian registry of births, deaths and marriages confirmed their birth details and on the Ancestry database I found several entries for the brothers in the Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 collection.
I then returned to Trove in the hope of uncovering more information about the family. It was there that I found news I had not expected – and did not want – to find. A newspaper report which revealed that Harold’s son, Harold Douglas “Dougie” Ross Clark, a gunner with the 2/4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, had been killed in action in Syria on 11 July 1941.
It was devastating to know that nearly twenty six years after Harold was killed on the Western Front, his youngest son, Dougie, had also lost his life while serving his country.
I then directed my attention to Laurance and his descendants. Using a range of resources, I managed to find the details of Laurance’s first and second marriages and information about his successful career as a scientist. The Ryerson Index helped me to locate a copy of his death notice in 2002 and from this notice I identified the names of his children. I eventually managed to find the contact details for his daughter Dinah Stehr, who lives in New South Wales.
A few days after being handed the photo of Hal, I found myself ringing Dinah and explaining to her how a photograph of her grandfather had been left in the library. Dinah was thrilled to learn of its discovery and amazed at how I had managed to trace her. As it happened, she was planning to visit Melbourne in April, so we arranged to meet in the library, so I could present her with the photograph of her grandfather in person.
I was so pleased to have had the opportunity to meet with Dinah and to hear stories about her family. Like me, she was also intrigued as to who the good Samaritan was who left the photograph in the library; where did it come from and what was the connection between the original owner and Harold? We were both also thrilled to find out that news of the photograph had reached the journalist Caroline Webb, who published an article on Hal, in The Age on April 17, 2026.
Since then, I have often found myself thinking about Hal’s wife, Doris, and how profoundly her life was shaped by the impact of the two World Wars. Dinah told me how difficult Doris’s life had been and how the deaths of both her husband and her son left an enduring mark, not only on her but on all of the Clark descendants. The dry, formal words in the newspaper reports never really convey any of the shock and grief felt by the family at home, or the sadness and hardship that would be experienced in the years afterwards. Doris’s story is a reminder of that reality.
Of the hundreds of family history enquiries I have researched during my time as a librarian at State Library Victoria, this has been, without doubt, the most rewarding. The experience has also reinforced for me that family history is far more than just documenting names, dates and places. It’s about uncovering our ancestors’ stories, preserving those stories for future generations, and understanding how their lives may have helped shape ours.
I am so delighted that, 110 years after it was taken, the photograph of Hal has finally been returned to his family – where it rightfully belongs.
Further information
For further information on how to research World War I and World War II resources please see the following guides and collections –
Australians in World War I – research guide
Researching your ancestors’ occupations – Armed forces – research guide
Researching your World War II ancestors – blog post
War – a collection of online databases
World War I Unit Histories – digitised collection