by Emma Gibbs
IT was an unexpected discovery for the Central Coast's David Clark as he walked though the Australian War Museum and paused to admire a painted man's handkerchief.
The artwork before him seemed familiar and not unlike a painting of his aunt, Jean Davison (nee Clark) from Inverell, done by his uncle Ronald during World War II.
After some enquiries and help from the museum, David unravelled the most surprising story his family had ever heard.
His uncle was, in fact, the artist of the handkerchief painting.
Ronald Clark, who was the third of eight children born to Elsie and Ivan Clark, of Inverell, had painted both pictures during his time in a prisoner of war camp in Gorlitz, Germany Ð now in eastern Poland.
On July 4, 1940, Ronald Clark's company was one of two transferred to the artillery for training on anti-aircraft guns in the Middle East, intended to protect Alexandria and Haifa against Italian air raids.
Ronald was in action at Bardia on January 4, 1941, at the battle for Tobruk on January 21-22, Wadi Derna January 26-30; and three weeks garrisoning Benghazi.
On March 31, Ronald embarked for Greece, was evacuated to Crete in late April, missed the battalion's evacuation from Heraklion and was reported missing in action on June, 6, 1941.
Like many Australians, Ronald was hidden away from the German forces by a family in Crete who owned a cafŽ and allowed him to quietly work and avoid capture.
Eventually it was a colourful patriotic tattoo on his arm he had designed earlier that gave him away to the Germans and he was taken prisoner and sent to Stalag VIIIB at Gorlitz.
He spent the remainder of the war there and continued designing and illustrating, using dyes soaked from Red Cross food labels.
As Russian advance grew nearer in early 1945, the camp was evacuated, with prisoners force-marched in freezing winter conditions to Stalag XIB at Fallingbostel, south-east of Bremen, which was liberated in April 1945 by the British.
A British doctor, Captain Walter Mills, approached the camp just as its gates were opened and hundreds of allied troops, including Ronald, emerged.
Elated to be free Ronald shouted "Here's a souvenir for you cobber" and pressed this handkerchief into Dr Mills' hands.
It was days before the doctor could examine the hanky and by then he had forgotten at which camp the gift was given.
Ronald was finally able to return to Inverell in May 1945 after treatment.
He attended art school and started exhibiting at Inverell, although a house fire in the mid-1950s destroyed the work painted at the concentration camp.
He died on April 16, 1959, aged 46.
In the 1970s and 1980s Dr Mills travelled to Australia looking to return the handkerchief that had been pressed into his hands in 1945, with 'Clarke' painted onto the work the only clue to the identity of the giver.
Convinced he would never discover the artist, Dr Mills finally donated the handkerchief to the Australian War Memorial in 1994. It was placed on display in 1999.
Ronald had never told his family about painting the hanky, and it was only by incredible luck the origin and incredible story about it ever came to light.
* For a more detailed version of the Clark's incredible story go to the Australian War Memorial website http://awm.gov.au. Click on Ôsearch our collections' and type in Ronald Clark in the search field.