The wacky William Nairne Clarke was a tempestuous character in Western Australia’s early history.
In 1832 he was the victorious party in Western Australia’s only fatal duel.
Apart from exploring much of south-west Western Australia in a series of six expeditions, he published the short-lived Swan River Guardian.
Prior to that he published Western Australia’s first book, A report of the late trial for libel !!! : Clarke versus Macfaul, September 4th, 1835.
Clark was an inveterate writer of disputatious Letters to The Editor concerning the exploration of the country between Perth and Albany – something of which, of course, he had first hand experience.
Clark appears in Western Australian Exploration Volume 1 1826-1835 and Western Australian Exploration 1836-1845, along with 300 other explorers.
Kim Epton
Series Editor
