1892–1977
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Plot 21 Plot 56
Gregory Clark was born in Toronto into a family deeply connected to journalism. His father, Joseph T. Clark, served as editor-in-chief of the Toronto Star, a family legacy that shaped Gregory’s future. After attending Harbord Collegiate and spending a short time at the University of Toronto, he joined the Toronto Star in 1911, beginning a career that would see him become one of Canada’s most celebrated writers.
When the First World War erupted, Clark enlisted with the 170th Battalion and later served with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles. At Vimy Ridge, he demonstrated remarkable courage, taking command after his company lost its leader. For his gallantry, he was awarded the Military Cross. After three harrowing years in the trenches, Clark returned home as a decorated officer.
Back at the Toronto Star, Clark quickly became a household name. His reporting captured major events with vivid detail and accuracy, including the Great Fire of 1922, which decimated the Temiskaming region in northeastern Ontario, the notorious Lindbergh kidnapping trial in 1935, the Moose River Mine disaster in 1936 and the 1937 coronation of King George VI and subsequent Royal Tour of Canada in 1939. Alongside sensational news stories like these, Clark delighted readers with humorous columns in the Star Weekly, often illustrated by his friend Jimmie Frise. These stories chronicled fishing trips, hunting adventures and the quirks of everyday Canadian life.
Although too old for active service during the Second World War, Clark returned to the front as a war correspondent. He reported from France during the Blitzkrieg, covered Dunkirk and Dieppe and followed Canadian troops through Italy and Northwest Europe. His wartime journalism earned him the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
After the war, Clark continued writing for the Montreal Standard and later for Weekend Magazine, producing columns that entertained Canadians for decades. His collections of humorous essays became bestsellers, and in 1965 he won the Leacock Medal for Humour for his book War Stories. Two years later, he was among the first recipients of the Order of Canada, recognized “for the humour which he has brought to his profession as a newspaper writer and radio commentator.” He also received honorary doctorates and, in 1976, was inducted into the Canadian Fishing Hall of Fame, a tribute to his lifelong love of the outdoors.
Gregory Clark passed away on February 3, 1977, at the age of 84. At his death, he was remembered as Canada’s best-known and best-loved storyteller, a writer whose words captured both the drama of history and the warmth of everyday life.
Sources:
• Mount Pleasant Group – Gregory Clark
• Wikipedia – Greg Clark (journalist)
• 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles – Gregory Clark Biography
• The Canadian Encyclopedia – Greg Clark
Photos:
• With Jimmy Frise - Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
• Headshot - CFRB (Toronto radio station), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
