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Bede Clifford

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Captain The Honourable
Sir Bede Clifford
GCMG CB MVO
Governor of The Bahamas
In office
10 January 1932 – 1934
MonarchGeorge V
Prime MinisterRamsey MacDonald
Preceded bySir Charles Orr
Succeeded bySir Charles Dundas
Governor of Mauritius
In office
23 October 1937 – 16 April 1942
MonarchGeorge VI
Prime MinisterNeville Chamberlain
Winston Churchill
Preceded bySir Wilfrid Jackson
Succeeded bySir Donald Mackenzie-Kennedy
Governor of Trinidad and Tobago
In office
8 June 1942 – 6 March 1947
MonarchGeorge VI
Prime MinisterWinston Churchill
Clement Attlee
Preceded bySir Hubert Young
Succeeded bySir John Shaw
Personal details
Born(1890-07-03)3 July 1890
New Zealand
Died6 October 1969(1969-10-06) (aged 79)
Surrey, England
Spouse
Alice Devin Gundry
​
(m. 1925)​
Children
  • Anne Frances Mary Clifford
  • Patricia David Pandora Clifford
  • Alice Devin Atalanta Clifford
Parents
Alma mater
OccupationStatesman

Captain Sir Bede Edmund Hugh Clifford GCMG CB MVO (3 July 1890 – 6 October 1969)[1] was a British diplomat and colonial administrator,[2] born in New Zealand, where his parents had moved in an unsuccessful attempt at sheep-farming.[3]

His parents were William Hugh Clifford, 10th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh and Catherine Mary Bassett. After New Zealand they moved to Tasmania; he did not attend a regular school until he was 10. He attended Xavier College, Melbourne[4] where he was a gifted student.[5] This was followed by study at Melbourne University, becoming a surveyor, then a merchant navy officer.[3]

Career

After serving as an army captain in the Royal Fusiliers during World War I, where he gained the rank of Captain, he worked in imperial administration and diplomacy. From 1917 he was aide-de-camp, then Private Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Ronald Ferguson.[6] From 1921 to 1931, he was Secretary to the Governor-General of South Africa, first to Prince Arthur of Connaught and then to Prince Alexander of Teck.[7]

In 1931, it was announced that Clifford would be appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Bahamas. He was later appointed the 24th Governor of Mauritius from 23 October 1937 to 16 April 1942.[8] He then became Governor of Trinidad and Tobago from 1942 to 1947.[7] and was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Family

He married Alice Devin Gundry in 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio. He retired to England, where he died. They had three daughters:

Honours

Clifford was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) on 18 August 1920 in recognition of his services in the Royal Fusiliers as Military Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia,[10] which was presented to him by the then Prince of Wales during his visit to Australia.[11] He was then made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) on 1 January 1924 in recognition of his services as Secretary to the Governor General of South Africa.[12] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 1 January 1931 in recognition of his services as Imperial Secretary to the South African High Commission and Representative in the Union of South Africa of the UK Government.[13] As Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Bahama Islands, he was promoted to the rank of Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) on 3 June 1933.[14] On 28th December 1944, he was appointed Knight of the Order of St John (KStJ).[15] He was promoted to the rank of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) on 1 January 1945.[16] He was also awarded the Legion of Merit by the United States.[1]

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) 1945[16]
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) 1933[14]
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) 1924[12]
Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem (KStJ) 1944[15]
Legion of Merit USA
Commander of the Order of the Bath (CB) 1931[13]
Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) 1920[17]

References

  1. ^ a b "Past Governor of Trinidad and Tobago Sir Bede Clifford".
  2. ^ ‘CLIFFORD, Captain Hon. Sir Bede Edmund Hugh’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2014
  3. ^ a b Fuller bio than here
  4. ^ "Xavier College Annual Speech Night". Advocate. 22 December 1932. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  5. ^ "ST. XAVIER'S COLLEGE". Table Talk. 19 December 1907. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Commonwealth Government Gazette".
  7. ^ a b Clifford
  8. ^ "Mauritius".
  9. ^ Burke's Peerage, vol. 1 (1999), p. 131; Melonie Clarke, Helena Gumley-Mason, ”Samantha Cameron's Sari Diplomacy” in The Lady, 26 November 2013, archived here
  10. ^ [1], London Gazette, 15 October 1920
  11. ^ [2] Sir Bede Edmund Hugh Clifford
  12. ^ a b "No. 13985". The London Gazette. 4 January 1924.
  13. ^ a b "No. 14719". The London Gazette. 6 January 1931.
  14. ^ a b "No. 14971". The London Gazette. 6 June 1933.
  15. ^ a b "No. 36875". The London Gazette. 2 January 1945.
  16. ^ a b "No. 36866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1944. p. 6.
  17. ^ "No. 9987". The London Gazette. 15 October 1920.
Government offices
Preceded by Governor of the Bahamas
1932-1934 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Mauritius
1937-1942 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Trinidad and Tobago
1942-1947 		Succeeded by
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