{{Short description|Royal Navy Vice Admiral (1900–1964)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}} {{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix = Vice-Admiral |name = Sir Eric Clifford |honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB|CBE}} |image= |image_size= |alt= |caption= |nickname= |birth_date= {{birth date|1900|09|03|df=yes}} |birth_place= Hove, Sussex, England<ref name="1901census">''1901 England Census''</ref> |death_date= {{death date and age|1964|09|07|1900|09|03|df=yes}} |death_place= Hailsham, Sussex, England |burial_place= |allegiance= United Kingdom |branch= Royal Navy |service_years= |rank= Vice-Admiral |service_number= |unit= |commands= Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff<br/>Flag Officer Second in Command Far East Fleet<br/>5th Cruiser Squadron<br/>{{HMS|Illustrious|87|6}}<br/>{{HMS|Diadem|84|6}}<br/>HMS ''Salisbury''<br/>{{HMS|Mackay|D70|6}} |battles= World War I<br/>World War II<br/>Korean War |awards= Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath<br/>Commander of the Order of the British Empire<br/>Mentioned in dispatches |relations= |other_work= }} Vice-Admiral '''Sir Eric George Anderson Clifford''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|KCB|CBE}} (3 September 1900 – 7 September 1964) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff from 1954 to 1957.<ref name="times">{{cite news |title= Obituary: Sir Eric Clifford – Russian Convoys, Normandy, Korea |work=The Times |date= 9 September 1964 |page=15 }}</ref>

==Early life and education== Clifford was born in Hove, Sussex, the son of Captain William Trannock Clifford RNR of Poplar and his wife, Clara Strutt, born in Cape Colony.<ref name="1901census"/> Like his father, Clifford was educated at the Thames Nautical Training College and aboard {{HMS|Worcester|1860|6}}. In January 1917, he joined the Royal Naval Reserve as a midshipman, and then entered the Royal Navy.<ref name="times"/>

==Naval career== Clifford served in the First World War in the battleships {{HMS|Iron Duke|1912|6}} and {{HMS|Colossus|1910|6}} and then specialised in navigation.<ref name=lh>[http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/CLIFFORD.shtml Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives]</ref> He was appointed Fleet Navigating Officer, for the China Station in 1938.<ref name=lh/> He served in the Second World War as Commanding Officer of the destroyers {{HMS|Mackay|D70|6}} and HMS ''Salisbury''<ref>[http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4101-26RNHome.htm Royal Navy Ships, January 1941]</ref> and then as Naval Assistant Secretary to the War Cabinet from 1941 to 1943.<ref name=lh/> In the closing stages of the war he commanded the cruiser {{HMS|Diadem|84|6}}.<ref>[http://aberth.com/diadem/green.html HMS Diadem]</ref>

After the war Clifford became Chief of Staff in Hong Kong and then was given command of the Navigation School in 1947.<ref name=lh/> He went on to command the aircraft carrier {{HMS|Illustrious|87|6}} 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.<ref name=lh/> In the latter role he saw action during the Korean War.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hms-newcastle.co.uk/korea_52-54.htm |title=HMS Newcastle |access-date=4 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116201959/http://hms-newcastle.co.uk/korea_52-54.htm |archive-date=16 January 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was made Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff and a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty in 1954; he retired in 1957.<ref name=lh/>

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

{{S-start}} {{s-mil}} {{succession box|title=Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff|before=Sir Geoffrey Barnard|after=Sir Manley Power<br/><small>(Post merged with that of Fifth Sea Lord)</small> |years=1954&ndash;1957}} {{end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clifford, Eric}} Category:1900 births Category:Military personnel from East Sussex Category:1964 deaths Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Category:Lords of the Admiralty Category:People from Hove Category:Royal Navy vice admirals Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Korean War Category:Royal Navy personnel of World War I Category:Royal Navy officers of World War II