CHRISTOPHER NORMAN CLAYDEN MBE

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Norman was born into the Middlesex Regiment (the Diehards) on 10 July 1921 in Egypt where his father Bill Clayden was serving with the 2nd Bn. [I learnt at the funeral that Jean’s father was also a Diehard].  He was educated at Brighton College and in 1940 he enlisted as a volunteer recruit at the regimental depot at Mill Hill.  He was commissioned in 1941 and, after a few months, he was posted as an instructor at the Army Gas School much to his consternation as his military experience was minimal; he was further horrified to find that his very first audience was a room full of ATS!  However the next year he escaped and joined the 2nd Bn who were part of Southern Command defending the south of England against invasion and preparing for the Normandy landings.  In June 1944 the Bn landed on Sword Beach on D+1 and Norman fought with them all the way to Bremen.

 

He remained with the Bn, moving with them to Palestine in 1945 and then to Egypt in 1946 where at the ripe old age of 26 he found himself in command for a short time.  In 1948 the 1st and 2nd Bns amalgamated and the new Bn, the 1st, was posted to Chelsea Barracks to undertake public duties.  Norman was commanding the Palace Guard on the night that Prince Charles was born

 

Thereafter the Bn moved to Hong Kong where Norman was hived off to become the Intelligence Officer for 28 Bde.  However he managed to rejoin the Bn which was still in Korea.  On the return to Hong Kong he became Adjutant and remained as such until 1952, having taken the Bn to Austria.

 

In 1953 he commanded the Colour Party at the Coronation and the next year he attended the Staff College.  Then followed a period at Sandhurst as an instructor and two years at Eastern Command at Hounslow before finally returning to the Bn in Hameln in 1959, having very wisely married Jean immediately beforehand.

 

In 1961 he was back in the UK, at Canterbury, first as DAAG HQ Home Counties Brigade and then as Commanding Officer of the Brigade Depot he having been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in May 1963.

 

In 1966 he went to Guyana as G1 and then in 1967, after Independence, he became G1 in Singapore, a posting he particularly enjoyed.

 

After that he held a succession of  appointments – at the Ministry of Defence, as Deputy Commander of the Ulster Defence Regiment, and at HQUKLF at Wilton.

 

He retired from the Army on 30 June 1973.

 

Norman inherited from his father a great interest in Nature in general, and birds in particular.  In Singapore her was able to indulge his passion to the full – ringing, recording, photographing and observing.  It helped that several senior officers, including the CinC, were also enthusiastic bird watchers and it was one of these who instructed Norman to start up the Singapore branch of the ABWS to match similar organisations in  the Navy and the RAF.

 

Soon after his return to UK in 1970 he became Secretary of the parent branch of the ABWS and remained as such for the next 21 years.  He devoted himself whole-heartedly to the job and ensured the solid framework that the Society (now the AOS) enjoys today.

 

Norman was a canny bird watcher.  At our annual meetings, whilst the rest of us would tramp the circuit in whatever the weather threw at us, he, being increasingly immobilised by arthritis, would remain seated in one spot and invariably record as many, if not more, species than the able-bodied.

 

Having retired on 30 June 1973 Norman undertook what was to become the second greatest achievement of his life (the first being to marry Jean) – on 30 July he was appointed Head of Conservation for the Ministry of Defence.  He was given one female assistant and half a typist and they occupied two pokey little offices in Tolworth Towers.  He proceeded to bring into existence the structure that exists to this day on all MOD training areas in Great Britain.  He badgered, cajoled, encouraged and inspired.  The first two conservation groups, Longmoor and Bordon, were set up in 1974, the next year there were 40, by 1980 there were 130, and in 1986 when he retired there were 201 groups in existence.

 

After 5 years in post he organised the publication of Sanctuary which serves as the MOD annual conservation report with input from all groups; it is a most impressive document.  He also instituted Deer Management on those areas where it was needed.

 

It was his policy to attend the major meetings of all groups, usually two a year, and mostly between September and Easter.  This involved a tremendous amount of driving and a lot of organisation as he would frequently give a talk with slides and other aids.  He accordingly increased his staff to include a driver and a PA – both tasks performed by Jean.  There was always a stand at the Aldershot Army Show and in 1983 and 1986 at the Bath and West.  He also attended seminars in Munich and Holland.  In the middle of this he underwent two hip operations, one in 1983 and the second a year later.

 

That Norman had made such a tremendous impact on the Conservation movement was not only for the MOD but also on the national scene was recognised by the award first in 1984 of the MBE for his work for the MOD, and secondly in 1987 the first ever prestigious RSPB Esso award which was presented to him by Prince Charles.  This marked a very fitting end to his second career for he retired finally in September 1986, although he remained as a consultant for a further year.

 

He took into retirement responsibility for collating the annual MOD Bird Count which he continued right to the end of his life.  And he continued as Secretary of the ABWS until 1992.

 

Norman was a fine all round athlete playing most sports.  He played for the Army at rugby and hockey, and represented the Army in athletics.  He was a Combined Services hockey umpire and Chairman of the Army Hockey Umpires Association.  He was a formidable opponent and had a fearsome reputation on the hockey field, as had his cousin Ken.  One day at the Depot the very latest joined subaltern was detailed to join the team to play against and RAF side.  When he mentioned to the PMC that he might be late back for something or other as no doubt there would be tea after the match, the reply came: “With Norman and Ken playing there might NOT BE an invitation to tea!”.

 

Norman had a great sense of duty and expected the same of others.  He was highly efficient and very meticulous in all that he did, and put 100% into whatever he was undertaking.  When he became MOD Conservation Officer he didn’t know too much about trees, insects, grasses, reptiles etc.  But because these and other subjects were of great interest to members of the groups he had set up he got down to learning about them and became very knowledgeable as a result, and astonished a former band boy who saw him on TV expanding on the Natterjack toad.

 

He didn’t suffer fools gladly and you knew exactly where you stood with him.  He was forthright, totally honest and very fair and just; and greatly encouraging to those less able than he.  He was a good leader of men and his soldiers held him in great respect.  A somewhat stern exterior concealed a certain shyness, and when you got to know him you found a warm, kind and thoughtful person with a marked sense of humour.  He was a staunch friend and utterly devoted husband, father and grandfather.

 

Norman had an indomitable spirit which came to the fore as arthritis gradually took over the whole of his body, leaving him in constant pain about which he never complained.  In fact he never complained ever, about any of his afflictions.  In November 1993 he fell off a ladder whilst doing some pruning and broke the hamstring in his right thigh.  As a result of being immobilised by having the whole of his leg in plaster he suffered a stroke whilst lying in his hospital bed.  He lost the use of his right side and his speech was affected.  By sheer grit and determination he overcame the disabilities by constant exercise.  You didn’t want to be anywhere near him when he was wielding a heavy iron frying pan through the air.  The only thing he didn’t manage to master totally was his speech because part of his tongue remained paralysed.

 

Over the years areas of his heart began to stop functioning and Norman became increasingly frail and even more immobile.  He hardly got any sleep at night and if that wasn’t enough, he lost his voice early last year, never to return.  He could communicate but in a whisper which took a tremendous effort, and he used a hockey umpire’s whistle to attract attention, or to control the art class which Jean holds every week.

 

But Norman fought on for he had a strong will to live.  There was a very happy family gathering at Christmas with Norman communicating with Ben his grandson of 15 months with the aid of the whistle, and then 2 days after Boxing Day his great heart gave out.

 

Norman Clayden was born a Diehard, he lived a Diehard and he died a Diehard.

 

Chris Lawrence

 

Norman Clayden

 

I joined the AB-WS in 1969 when the Hon Sec was Tigger Worrin, who immediately preceded Norman. The Society was a fairly amateurish organisation then with our Journal reporting the frequent occurrence of Lesser Yellowlegs on a sewage farm near Rheindahlen. (I think they must have been Reeves)  It did run some good trips though and I remember going to the Dümmer See, where we saw 5 species of Acrocephalus Warbler.

 

Norman Took over and immediately there was an energy in the Society. He organised the World Bird Count in the first week of January. It hadn’t much scientific value, but it got members to participate and communicate. He used the Bulletins answer letters, a remarkably efficient way of letting everyone know what was going on and he was always badgering people to run birding weekends. Many were badly attended then as well! Once he was the MoD Conservation Officer, the AB-WS was immediately integrated into the Conservation Groups and the MoD Bird Count began.

 

There were very few occasions when Norman was short of an idea and most were very good, though life got difficult if they were not, as it was not easy to stop him. On one stormy occasion at an AGM he wanted to introduce a matching AOS headscarf for the ladies. Basic market research showed that by comparison the tie would be a best seller. Norman’s retort was that it was high time we got a grip of our wives.

 

Hilary Nash