Richard Clayton (Royal Navy officer)

Sir Richard Clayton
Born 1925
Died 15 September 1984
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  Royal Navy
Years of service 1942 – 1981
Rank Admiral
Commands held HMS Puma
Gibraltar Dockyard
HMS Kent
HMS Hampshire
Naval Home Command
Battles/wars World War II
Suez Crisis
Awards Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Admiral Sir Richard Pilkington Clayton GCB (1925 – 15 September 1984) was Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command.

Naval career

Clayton joined the Royal Navy in 1942 and served as a midshipman on HMS Cumberland until 1943 when he was on various destroyers of the Home Fleet.[1] He also served on HMS Striker during the Suez Crisis in 1956.[1]

He became Commanding Officer of HMS Puma in 1958 and Executive Officer on HMS Lion in 1962.[1] He became Captain of the Gibraltar Dockyard in 1967[2] and then commanded HMS Kent and then HMS Hampshire in the late 1960s.[1] He was appointed Flag Officer Second Flotilla in 1973 and Senior Naval Member on Directing Staff at the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1975.[1]

He was appointed Controller of the Navy in 1975 and became Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command in 1979:[1] he retired in 1981.[1]

In retirement he became a Director at GEC[3] and was a Governor of Rendcomb College.[4] He died in a motor cycling accident in September 1984.[5]

References

Military offices
Preceded by
Sir Anthony Griffin
Controller of the Navy
1975–1979
Succeeded by
Sir John Fieldhouse
Preceded by
Sir David Williams
Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command
1979–1981
Succeeded by
Sir James Eberle