JOHNSTONE, Vice Adm Sir Clive Charles Carruthers KBE CB 1963-2024
Richard R
He was s of Charles Napier Carruthers JOHNSTONE 1929-2019 (s of Hester Caroline NAPIER 1896-1970 who was 3xgt gd of 6th Lord NAPIER OF MERCHISTOUN c1702-1773) and Patricia Mary 1931-2006 d of Randolph Nelson ELMES 1887-1963 by his 1929 m reg Q3 Devon to Violet May DURRANT 1899-1972. He m 1990 Alison DUGUID, and had a son (Roderick Napier C. b&d 1996) and two daus (Phoebe Alice b 7 July 1997 (Times 10 July) and Emily Louise b 1999 reg Q3 Hants).
colinp
Vice-Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone, commanded HMS Bulwark during the evacuation of Beirut – obituary
Johnstone was an inspirational man with a piercing intellect and it was a wonder to many that he did not go on to be First Sea Lord
Vice-Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone, who has died aged 60, participated in the largest British evacuation since Dunkirk, and was commander of Nato’s Allied Maritime Command for four years.
Johnstone’s command in 2006-07 of the amphibious assault ship Bulwark demonstrated the flexibility and versatility of sea power. With Royal Marines embarked, he took her for six months on her maiden deployment to the Indian Ocean, where she conducted counter-terrorist and counter-pirate tasks in the Gulf of Aden, and then into the Gulf to provide security for Iraqi oil platforms against terrorist and Iranian threats.
On the passage home, Bulwark was off Barcelona and only a few days away from Plymouth when on July 15 she was diverted to the eastern Mediterranean.
After an Israeli attempt to kill a Hamas leader in Gaza, Hezbollah had entered Israel from Lebanon, killing three Israeli soldiers and taking two hostage. In retaliation Israel bombarded Beirut airport and the northern roads into Syria and tens of thousands of non-combatants were trapped.
These included British civilians, who were advised to lie low and wait for the Navy to arrive. Operation Highbrow, involving British warships and helicopters, including Chinooks from Cyprus, was mounted to rescue them.
The Foreign Office had established that some 5,000 citizens, mainly dual-nationality, were eligible for evacuation, and when the helicopter airlift proved too slow, and not knowing what danger might arise from the Israeli navy or from Muslim terrorists, Johnstone took Bulwark into Beirut harbour.
During what was said to be the largest British evacuation by sea since Dunkirk, on July 20 Bulwark embarked 1,300 people to ferry to Cyprus. Highbrow ended on July 22, when between 3,500 and 4,400 British citizens had been evacuated, but Bulwark stayed off the coast for four more weeks at a high state of readiness.
Johnstone was appointed CBE and his operations officer Lieutenant Commander Chris Saunders MBE.
Clive Charles Carruthers Johnstone was born on September 6 1963 in Kampala, Uganda, into a family who had served for generations in the Royal Navy and British Army….
It was a wonder to many that Johnstone did not go on to be First Sea Lord, but he was up against strong competition. Instead, he was knighted in 2019, and retired from the Navy in 2020….
In 1990 Johnstone married the opera singer Alison Duguid, whom he met at university, and he enjoyed above all spending time with his family at their cottage in Argyll; she survives him with their two daughters.
Vice-Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone, born September 6 1963, died May 12 2024
Richard R
Obit in the Times of 27 May 2024:
E X T R A C T
Vice-Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone obituary: commander of Nato’s Allied Maritime Command
[7x]Great-grandson of Charles II who played a vital part in the Royal Navy evacuation of Beirut harbour
…Clive Charles Carruthers Johnstone was born in 1963 in Kampala, Uganda. His father, Charles Johnstone, was a chartered water engineer who had served in the Royal Engineers and subsequently worked for the Uganda Ministry of Public Works. His mother, Patricia, was a nurse.
Johnstone had distinguished forebears. He was the seventh great-grandson of Charles II and his mistress Louise de Kérouaille, the appropriately titled Duchess of Portsmouth [see below]. Through his paternal grandmother, Hester Napier, he was the fourth great-grandson of Captain Henry Napier, three of whose brothers were generals, notably General Sir Charles Napier, who was famous for his Peninsula War experience and for his clever single Latin communication (peccavi, I have sinned) after capturing the Indian province of Sind…
…his mother used to refer to her son, even at the age of two or three, as “the Admiral”. He was also keen on uniforms of one sort or another, to the extent that during his gap year he contrived to secure a job as a dinner-suited waiter at a top hotel in Dedham, Essex. He habitually wore his great-grandfather’s campaign cap worn at Gallipoli before it was swept away on a French river during a holiday…
…Johnstone’s party piece was an impersonation of Noël Coward in In Which We Serve. He was also known for his modest, self-effacing conversational style and ready ability to engage with people at all levels of the Royal Navy and society. He proved stoical in the face of adversity and personal tragedy, while ensuring that those who needed his guidance and direction were afforded the time and attention to ensure their success. Many had the benefit of his mentorship and encouragement, both in the Royal Navy and in civilian life.
…In 1990 he married the noted opera singer Alison Duguid, whom he met in their second week at university. She survives him with their two daughters, Phoebe, who is a doctor and Emily, a travel executive…
…With a strong aversion to television, he and his family used to relax at a cottage on the shores of Loch Fyne, where he enjoyed hill-walking, therapeutic wood-chopping and fishing, though he recognised in his self-deprecating way that he had more rods than fish caught.
Vice-Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone KBE CB, was born on September 6, 1963. He died suddenly on May 12, 2024, aged 60
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/vice-admiral-sir-clive-johnstone-mc7m696g5
King CHARLES II, by the Duchess of PORTSMOUTH had:
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1st Duke of RICHMOND
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2nd Duke of RICHMOND
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Lady Sarah LENNOX
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Capt Henry Edward NAPIER
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Charles George NAPIER
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Brig-Gen Henry Edward NAPIER ka1915
Gallipoli
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Hester Caroline NAPIER
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Charles Napier Carruthers JOHNSTONE
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Sir Clive Charles Carruthers JOHNSTONE 1963-2024 KBE CB