William Clarkson KCB CMG (1859 - 1934)

Born 26 Mar 1859 in Whitby, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Louisa Clarissa (Hawker) Clarkson — married 24 Aug 1887 in North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Died 21 Jan 1934 at age 74 in Darling Point, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

William Clarkson KCB CMG is Notable.

Vice Admiral William Clarkson KBE CMG was born on 26th March 1859 in 10 St Hilda's Terrace, Whitby, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom. He was the son of James Clarkson, a draper, and Mary Dixon. ^[1] He was christened in St Mary's Church, Whitby.

Whitby Civic Society Blue Plaque to denote the birth place of Vice-Admiral Sir William Clarkson KBE, CMG, RAN 1859-1934

In 1871 William lived with his mother, father, nine siblings and four servants and Mother In Law (?) Mary Dixon. ^[2]

He was privately educated in Whitby. Later, he was articled into shipbuilding in Newcastle upon Tyne for R & W Hawthorn, qualifying as a marine engineer.

William Clarkson KCB CMG migrated from England to South Australia.

William Clarkson KCB CMG is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Royal Australian Navy 1940-1945
Colonial Naval Force of South Australia 1884-1911; Royal Australian Navy 1911-

Migrating to South Australia, Australia aboard the flat-iron gunboat HMCS Protector (later HMAS Protector), William was commissioned as an Engineer Lieutenant in the South Australian Naval Service in May 1884; serving under Captain William Creswell (Later Vice Admiral Sir William Creswell and Commander of Commonwealth Naval Forces).

William married Louisa Hawker in 1887 in Adelaide, South Australia. ^[3]

He was Chief Engineer aboard HMCS Protector in the Boxer Rebellion in 1900–01. ^[4] After returning to his home port, William transferred to the newly-formed Commonwealth Naval Forces (CNF); upon Australia's Federation on 1st January 1901.

In October 1905 he was promoted to Engineer Commander. In March 1907 William was selected to visit Japan, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom in order to study Naval dockyards, ship construction and training methods. During this period he oversaw the building of destroyers for the CNF, which would become the first ships of the newly-founded Royal Australian Navy in 1911. ^[5]

William became the third member of the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board, joining William Creswell and Captain Gordon Smith. He became a driving force in the creation and development of the Flinders Naval Base at Western Port, Victoria from 1913. That year he was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG).

At the outbreak of The Great War, William in 1914 was appointed Director of Transports and Controller of Shipping. He was promoted to Rear Admiral on 1st April 1916 (No, it was not a joke!). By 1918 he was regarded as being 'without peer in Australian maritime affairs'. Upon the formation of the Inter-State Central Committee he became Chairman and Controller of Coastal Shipping. ^[6] For his duties in this capacity, in 1919 he was conferred Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE); becoming entitled as Rear Admiral Sir William Clarkson and Louisa as Lady Clarkson. ^[7]

He was promoted to Vice Admiral on 1st November 1922 and transferred to the Retired List; aged 63 years seven months. The following year he was appointed Director of the Commonwealth Shipping Board. ^[8]

William passed away on 21st January 1934 at the family home in Darling Point, in Sydney's eastern harbourside suburbs. Following a funeral with full military honours, his remains were cremated at the Rookwood Crematorium. His ashes were transported back to his hometown, where they were interred in the family memorial at the Church of Saint Mary, Whitby. ^[9] He was survived by his wife and their two sons.

His will of probate was granted on the 15th October 1934 in Darling Point, Australia. He was Retired navel engineer, Vice Admiral, K.B.E. C.M.G. ^[10][11]

St Mary's Church, Whitby, Yorkshire.

Sources

1. ↑ UK FreeBMD Birth Index Jun qtr 1859; vol 9d, page 391
2. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZGC-1NJ : 24 April 2019), Thomas Clarkson in entry for James N Clarkson, 1871.
3. ↑ South Australia Marriage Index #152/594 1887
4. ↑ 'South Australia - Defence of the Colony. The Manning Index of South Australian History'. State Library of South Australia. 1 September 1936; accessed 27 Apr 2023
5. ↑ 'On this day:1900-1913 Federation, RAN and pre-WW1'. Royal Historical Society of Australia. 2014; accessed 27 Apr 2023
6. ↑ House of Representatives (29 October 1920). 'Select Committee on Australian Overseas and Inter-State Sea Carriage'. Final Report, together with Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee. The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia; accessed 27 Apr 2023
7. ↑ 'Fifth Supplement to The London Gazette'. The London Gazette. 12 March 1918. p. 1; accessed 27 Apr 2023
8. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald Obituary; accessed 27 Apr 2023
9. ↑ New South Wales Death Index #3574/1934; registered at Woollahra
10. ↑ "Australia, New South Wales, Deceased Estate Files, 1880-1923", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2TW-HPTX : 3 February 2017), William (Sir) Clarkson, 1934.
11. ↑ "England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7XJ9-YKN2 : 27 August 2019), William Clarkson, 11 Jun 1934; citing Probate, London, England, United Kingdom, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Great Britain.; FHL microfilm .

See also

• Primrose, B N. 'Clarkson, Sir William (1859–1934)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1981; accessed online 27 Apr 2023.
• Wikipedia: 'William Clarkson'; accessed 27 Apr 2023.