Eric Clifford

Sir Eric Clifford
Born	1900
Died	1964
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands held	HMS Mackay HMS Salisbury HMS Diadem HMS Illustrious Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff 5th Cruiser Squadron Flag Officer Second in Command Far East Fleet Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Korean War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Vice Admiral Sir Eric George Anderson Clifford KCB CBE (1900–1964) was a Royal Navy officer who became Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff.

Naval career

Clifford served in World War I in the battleships HMS Iron Duke and HMS Colossus and then specialised in navigation.^[1] He was appointed Fleet Navigating Officer, for the China Station in 1938.^[1] He served in World War II as Commanding Officer of the destroyers HMS Mackay and HMS Salisbury^[2] and then as Naval Assistant Secretary to the War Cabinet from 1941 to 1943.^[1] In the closing stages of the War he commanded the cruiser HMS Diadem.^[3]

After the War he became Chief of Staff in Hong Kong and then was given command of the Navigation School in 1947.^[1] He went on to command the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious in 1949 before becoming Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in 1951 and Flag Officer commanding the 5th Cruiser Squadron and Flag Officer Second in Command Far East Fleet in 1952^[1] in which role he saw action during the Korean War.^[4] He was made Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff and a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty in 1954; he retired in 1957.^[1]

References