Colonel Esmond Humphrey Miller Clifford (1895–1970) was a Royal Engineers officer of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

who served between 1914 and 1948 through both world wars. During the interwar period (1918–1939) he became the Senior British Commissioner of the Anglo-Ethiopian Boundary Commission which became involved in the

Abyssinia Crisis The Abyssinia Crisis (; ) was an international crisis in 1935 that originated in what was called the Walwal incident during the ongoing conflict between the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Ethiopia (then commonly known as "Abyssinia"). The Le ...

. He was held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

for most of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. After his retirement he became the British Commissioner for the Kenya-Ethiopia Boundary Commission in 1950.

Early life

Esmond was born in 1895 and educated first at

Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , hea ...

then at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.

Military career

He entered the Royal Engineers in 1914 and served in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Between 1925 and 1928 he was an Assistant Commissioner to the Anglo-Italian Jubaland Boundary Commission. In 1931 Clifford became the Senior British Commissioner for the Anglo-Ethiopian Boundary Commission surveying the boundary between British Somaliland and

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. On 23 November 1934 they arrived at Walwal in the Ogaden province and were confronted by a newly arrived Italian force and although they protested the British contingent decided to withdraw to avoid an international incident. The Ethiopians however stayed and a skirmish took place which lead the

. Clifford became the Chief Engineer, China Command between 1940 and 1941 at which point he was captured by the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

during the fall of Hong Kong and held as a

Prisoner of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

until

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

ended in 1945. He retired from active service in the Army in 1948 but between 1950 and 1957 he was British Commissioner for the Kenya-Ethiopia Boundary Commission.

Death and legacy

Clifford died in 1970. His report on Royal Engineers' operations in Hong Kong, 1941, is held in the

Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives The Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives (LHCMA) at King's College London was set up in 1964. The Centre holds the private papers of over 700 senior British defence personnel who held office since 1900. Individual collections range in size f ...

, King's College London.''Research Guide Far East''
Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London, 2005. p. 3.

Awards

As an acting major he was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

(MC) on 2 April 1919. He became an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

on 1 June 1928 for services with the Jubaland Boundary Commission. On 31 December 1935 his OBE was promoted to a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clifford, Esmond 1895 births 1970 deaths People educated at Clifton College Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Cross British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Royal Engineers officers World War II prisoners of war held by Japan Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich