{{Short description|Royal Navy admiral (1963–2024)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix = Vice Admiral |name = Sir Clive Johnstone |honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KBE|CB}} |image= 160226-N-OX801-038 (25002743269) (Clive Johnstone cropped).jpg |image_size= |alt= |caption= Johnstone in 2016 |nickname= |birth_date= {{birth date|1963|09|06|df=yes}} |birth_place= Kampala, Uganda |death_date= {{death date and age|2024|05|12|1963|09|06|df=y}} |death_place= Newport, Wales |burial_place= |allegiance= United Kingdom |branch= Royal Navy |service_years= 1985–2020 |rank= Vice Admiral |service_number= |unit= |commands= Allied Maritime Command<br/>{{HMS|Bulwark|L15|6}}<br/>{{HMS|Iron Duke|F234|6}} |battles= Bosnian War<br/>Kosovo War<br/>Iraq War |awards= Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire<br/>Companion of the Order of the Bath |relations= |other_work= }}
Vice Admiral '''Sir Clive Charles Carruthers Johnstone''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KBE|CB}} (6 September 1963 – 12 May 2024) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as Commander, Allied Maritime Command from 2015 to 2019. During his tenure as commanding officer of {{HMS|Bulwark|L15|6}}, he participated in Operation Highbrow, the largest British evacuation since the evacuation of Dunkirk. From May 2023 until Johnstone's death in May 2024, he was the National President of the Royal British Legion.
==Early life and education== Johnstone was born on 6 September 1963 in Kampala, Uganda. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, an all-boys public school. He studied anthropology at Durham University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.<ref name="WW 2019">{{cite web |title=Johnstone, Vice Adm. Clive Charles Carruthers |url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-254066 |website=Who's Who 2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=7 June 2019 |date=1 December 2018|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U254066 }}</ref><ref name=bbc>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/4522192.stm |title=Naval vessel to fly county's flag|publisher=BBC|date=12 December 2005|access-date=7 June 2019}}</ref>
==Naval career== Johnstone joined the Royal Navy in 1985.<ref name=bbc/> The first ship he served on was the fishery protection vessel HMS ''Shetland''. Later, he was the navigator on the minesweeper HMS ''Nurton''. From 1996 to 1997, he was the first lieutenant of HMY ''Britannia''. His tenure during her final commission covered a visit by then-Prince Charles to Northern Ireland, Prince Charles's participation in the 1997 Hong Kong handover ceremony, and a summer cruise by Queen Elizabeth II to the Western Isles.<ref name=telegraph/> He became commanding officer of the frigate {{HMS|Iron Duke|F234|6}} in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/New+father+returns+to+the+bridge.-a060528728|title=New father returns to the bridge|work=Birmingham Post|date=28 July 1999|access-date=17 October 2015}}</ref> He became the Fleet Programmer in 2001, commanding officer of the amphibious transport dock {{HMS|Bulwark|L15|6}} in 2005,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/ROYAL%20NAVY%20WARSHIPS.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714184102/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/ROYAL%20NAVY%20WARSHIPS.pdf|url-status=dead|title=Captains Commanding Royal Navy Warships|archivedate=14 July 2015}}</ref> and Director of Naval Staff at the Ministry of Defence in April 2008.<ref name=appoints>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315105247/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Senior%20Royal%20Navy%20Appointments%201900-.pdf|url-status=dead|title=Senior Royal Navy appointments|archivedate=15 March 2012}}</ref>
While he commanded ''Bulwark'', he participated in Operation Highbrow, the largest British evacuation since the evacuation of Dunkirk. ''Bulwark'' took 1,300 evacuees from Beirut to Cyprus. After the operation, Johnstone was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.<ref name=telegraph>{{cite web |title=Vice-Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone, commanded HMS Bulwark during the evacuation of Beirut – obituary |work=The Telegraph |date=16 May 2024 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/05/16/vice-admiral-sir-clive-johnstone-nato-hms-bulwark-beirut/ |url-status=live |archive-date=19 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519090218/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/05/16/vice-admiral-sir-clive-johnstone-nato-hms-bulwark-beirut/}}</ref>
Johnstone went on to be Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff in December 2008,<ref name=tri>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Ministry%20of%20Defence%20Senior%20Posts.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117033054/http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/Ministry%20of%20Defence%20Senior%20Posts.pdf|url-status=dead|title=Ministry of Defence and Senior Tri-Service Appointments|archivedate=17 November 2015}}</ref> Flag Officer, Sea Training in July 2011,<ref name=appoints/> and Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy) in May 2013.<ref name=appoints/> His latest appointment was as Commander Allied Maritime Command in October 2015,<ref>{{Cite web|title = NATO Allied Maritime Command changes Commanders|url = http://www.mc.nato.int/PressReleases/Pages/NATO-Allied-Maritime-Command-changes-Commanders.aspx|website = mc.nato.int|access-date = 17 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151022035407/http://www.mc.nato.int/PressReleases/Pages/NATO-Allied-Maritime-Command-changes-Commanders.aspx|archive-date = 22 October 2015|url-status = dead}}</ref> when he was promoted to vice admiral on 15 October 2015.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=61392|supp=y|page=21038| date=27 October 2015}}</ref> Johnstone was replaced as Commander Allied Maritime Command by Vice Admiral Keith Blount on 20 May 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mc.nato.int/media-centre/news/2019/nato-maritime-command-changes-leadership.aspx|title=NATO Maritime Command Changes Leadership|date=20 May 2019|publisher=Allied Maritime Command|access-date=20 May 2019}}</ref>
Johnstone was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 New Year Honours,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=62507|date=29 December 2018|page=N5|supp=y}}</ref> and retired from the Royal Navy on 3 January 2020.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=62915 |date=11 February 2020 |page=2442 |supp= y }}</ref>
==Later life and death== On 21 May 2023, at the National Conference in Torquay, he took over as National President of The Royal British Legion from Lieutenant General James Bashall CBE, CB.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://counties.britishlegion.org.uk/media/03pijc5z/central-news-march-23.pdf|title=Central News|website=Counties.britishlegion.org.uk|access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About Us: Governance |url=https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/about-us/governance |website=The Royal British Legion |access-date=12 November 2023 |language=en |date=28 February 2019}}</ref>
Johnstone died on 12 May 2024, at the age of 60.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7195799978965876737/|title=Sir Clive Johnstone|publisher=Royal British Legion|access-date=13 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sir Clive Charles Carruthers Johnstone KBE CB |url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/births-marriages-and-deaths-may-14-2024-6z0dgpfw8 |access-date=13 May 2024 |publisher=The Times |date=13 May 2024}}</ref>
==References== {{Commons category}} {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef|before=Christopher Snow}} {{s-ttl|title=Flag Officer Sea Training|years=2011–2013}} {{s-aft|after=Ben Key}} |- {{s-bef|before=Matt Parr}} {{s-ttl|title=Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy)|years=2013–2015}} {{s-aft|after=Nick Hine}} |- {{s-bef|before=Peter Hudson}} {{s-ttl|title=Commander Allied Maritime Command|years=2015–2019}} {{s-aft|after=Keith Blount}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnstone, Clive}} Category:1963 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Alumni of the College of St Hild and St Bede, Durham Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Category:People educated at Shrewsbury School Category:Royal Navy vice admirals Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Iraq War Category:People from Kampala Category:20th-century Royal Navy personnel Category:Military personnel of the Kosovo War Category:Military personnel of the Bosnian War