We are very aware that this very brief outline misses out Clifford’s long-standing friendships, both personal and professional, and much of his professional and private work. We hope that some of you will contribute a photo, an anecdote or any other expression that you would like to offer. Sandra and Andrew A BRIEF LIFE STORY Early Years : Clifford was born in Plymouth, Devon in 1921. His mother taught herself to play the organ at the local church. His father was a school teacher and then, when jobs became scarce he joined the Navy and taught cadets on board the ships. He was often away for many months at a time. Clifford told how every morning they ran down to the port to see if his father was on the list of survivors when his ship, the Royal Oak, was torpedoed and went down in the Scapa Flow, and how finally he found his name chalked on the board. Clifford was close to his grandmother, who had married in New Zealand. Clifford’s eyes shone as he used to talk of her tales of the voyage out there, of all the great sail-boats at anchor in Rio de Janeiro creaking and shining in the sun. He showed us the creeks where he and his brother Roger spent their holidays mucking about in a boat in the tidal estuary of Kingsbridge, and his enthusiasm once got us stuck on a mud bank. Both boys were musical, Clifford played the viola, whilst Roger played the cello, and both boys were gifted at school and won scholarships. The war cut short Clifford’s student, play writing, music-making and rugby days in Exeter and his hopes of becoming a classical music critic. A conscientious objector for philosophical reasons, he spent the war teaching at Dartington Hall, where the boys took him to their hearts. A letter he wrote gives a vivid description of him fire-fighting on the roof of Exeter Cathedral armed mainly with dustbin lids and buckets of water. Clifford and Ruth : Ruth often told how Clifford found himself being chased down the road one day by a Polish man in a taxi, Ruth’s father. He was looking out for a viola player for his amateur quartet and saw Clifford going by on a bicycle with his viola. Then Clifford would describe how, when he arrived to play, the door was opened by his beautiful daughter, Ruth, and a long arm pulled him in. They were married a year later, in 1946. They started married life in Brighton, where Sandra was born, and then Andrew. Clifford learned about the sausage factory, import business and delicatessen shop that Ruth’s father was running. He shared memories of memorable visits to farms in Brittany where they bought pigs for meat. Middle Years : Later they moved to Eastbourne and then South Woodford, where Clifford learned about new technologies at night school (now London South Bank University where his grandson John later studied). Clifford worked in canning, then paper then plastics. His field was obviously marketing, as he was always full of projects. A creative and lateral thinker, he had the knack of seeing new products before most other people did. For a short time we were “rich” as he branched out briefly, working for an American millionaire who died suddenly. All this time the sound of Clifford’s quartets would send us to sleep or make sleep difficult. As lead viola player he helped consolidate and raise the musical ambitions of the amateur Forest Philharmonic orchestra, which once played at the Festival Hall. This also involved writing programme notes, preparing critiques and giving parties which filled every cranny of their small house with orchestra members after a concert. They both loved entertaining. Ruth would do all the cooking and be known for her charm. Clifford would be the “life and soul” of the party and be known for his wit. Their next move was to Maidenhead near Boulter’s Lock. Clifford brought home one of the first, enormously heavy micro-wave ovens that he was then selling. Then Clifford and Ruth spent two memorable years on the road in France discovering out of the way villages on their way to all the paper mills he could find, for a paper-making manufacturer. This culinary experience proved very useful when he was asked first to write a report on food, and then to set up a subsidiary company in Britain for an American company that produced state of the art marketing reports and then ran conferences. Clifford enjoyed setting up the business from A to Z and facilitating the personal and professional growth of the young team he had gathered round him and the reports became a national reference. Music making in the Maidenhead orchestra or playing quartets and entertaining friends made for a very full private life. Later he became president of the Maidenhead Music Society and worked for music societies at a regional level. Clifford and Ruth bought a holiday house in Brixham. Clifford was happy to be in Devon again, and many friends spent time with them there, enjoying the windy walks, Ruth’s cooking and the views. Here you can see Clifford practising being a grandfather to John in Brixham. Later in elegant Bath, they enjoyed exploring town life on foot, more entertaining and fun with friends. Later years: Clifford and Ruth celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2006 with a memorable day-long garden party at home. When Clifford moved into the Riverside care home in Cookham, where he could watch the boats go by on the Thames and listen to music, Ruth visited him every day. He celebrated his 90th birthday there with musical friends. Towards the end of 2012 Andrew searched and found a “person-centred” care home near him called Heron Lodge so Ruth and Clifford could be together again and near him. They moved to Norwich in November and we were glad that they were reunited for a month. Clifford died peacefully in the night the day after a family Christmas, stealing away, gracefully, like the gentleman he was. According to his and Ruth’s wishes the funeral in Norwich on 9th January 1913 was restricted to very close family, but you may like to listen to the music that was played: - the Andante from Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DC5VsALUrk - "Abendrot", the last of Richard Strauss’s 4 last songs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhxieUVSABM Helping young people to use initiative, to be creative at work and to enjoy what they are doing was a major thread of Clifford’s private and professional life and that is why, with advice from Alan Bartley, we have decided to invite those who would like to, to support the Young Concert Artist’s Trust, now known as the Young Classical Artists’ Trust YCAT). This site has a direct link to that fund. However you may want to discover more about the Trust at http://www.ycat.co.uk and/or by phoning 0207 379 8477.