Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1930 Lucky Bag:

JAMES STROUD CLARKSON

Chicken Jimmy

2 P.O.

PROUD resident of “Mosquito Country” and erstwhile advertiser of “Bennie Friedman,” and his illustrious tribe, Chick has acquired from his home environment the very essence of the strike spirit seemingly prevalent in his native Passaic.

His particular mystery is his unfailing fidelity to no less a master than Cupid. After a leave with his master this warm spot of fidelity burns still brilliantly.

Boning troubled the boy little, or anything else for that matter. Discipline, neatness and precision came easy to him and were accepted in a manner characterized by careless accomplishment.

A big heart has most soundly imprinted his memory in the affections of his many friends, especially so since we all must remember love has left him but half a heart. Doubtless Jimmy never read Don Byrnne; but he is therefore no less, from every appearance and manner, a disciple of “A clear conscience, a kindly heart, and a good punch in both hands.”

Loss

James was lost on February 9, 1942 when he was overcome by gas in a compartment in which he was working aboard USS Nevada (BB 36), which had been damaged by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. There is one report that he was trapped for two days prior to his death.

From Naval Bulletin of June 1942:

Chief Machinist’s Mate, DeVries, was posthumously commended for attempting to rescue the late Lieutenant James S. Clarkson, U. S. Navy, from asphyxiation and drowning aboard a naval vessel on February 7, 1942. Lieutenant Clarkson had been overcome by gas in a compartment in which he was working and had fallen into about two feet of water. DeVries’ commanding officer reported that after entering the compartment he became aware of the presence of gas, and instead of attempting to leave the unconscious officer and save his own life, warned other men not to enter the dangerous space and directed them to get a line with which to remove Clarkson. Both Lieutenant Clarkson and Chief Machinist’s Mate DeVries perished in the compartment.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

James attended Schools No. 9 and 11, and he graduated from Passaic High School in 1925. James and his sister Lillian were both in the chorus for the Passaic High School performance of the “H. M. S. Pinafore” in April 1925. In May, James sang bass in the production of Hayden’s “Creation.” James was also a member of the Dramatic Club.

In April, 1925, James was named second alternate to the Naval Academy by Congressman George N. Seger. The next year on March 4, 1926, he was appointed by Congressman Seger.

His parents and sisters Lillian and Margaret attended the Army-Navy game in Chicago on November 27, 1926.

James and the former Margaret Katherine Geiger were married on June 15, 1930. When James died, their children were Margaret Katherine, 11, James, Jr., 9, and Elizabeth, 4.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, James wrote his wife that he lost all his belongings including the Christmas gifts he had bought for the children.

His father Rutgers was a railroad clerk, and his mother was Lily. His brothers were R. Louis, an attorney, and Lieutenant Commander Arthur Alexander Clarkson (’22). His sisters were Katherine (Mrs. William Conway,) Margaret (Mrs. Allan Dill) and Lilly Mae “Nicky” (Mrs. Walter E. Stager).

James is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His son, James, Jr., graduated with the class of 1958 retired as a Lieutenant Commander.

Photographs

From The Herald News on February 11, 1942

Navy and Marine Corps Medal

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy and Marine Corps Medal (Posthumously) to Lieutenant James S. Clarkson, United States Navy, for heroic conduct as a volunteer diver engaged in Pearl Harbor salvage operations following the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941. Lieutenant Clarkson unhesitatingly made many hazardous dives in essential underwater work and by his tireless efforts contributed greatly to the success of the salvage operations.

General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 325 (April 1944)
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together, or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

Note

James’ headstone very clearly has February 9 as his date of death; all other references, and the headstone of the other man killed, have February 7. Togetherweserved.com states “James Stroud Clarkson died on 9 February 1942 aboard USS Nevada after having been trapped in a gas-filled compartment for two days.”