Douglas Clague

Early years

Born in Southern Rhodesia, in 1917, Clague arrived in Hong Kong in 1940 as a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, and on the outbreak of World War II became a prisoner in the Sham Shui Po PoW camp. He later escaped, and joined the British Army Aid Group in free China. On the ending of the war, he famously took the surrender of Japanese forces in Bangkok more or less single-handedly.

Business career

After the war, he became the tai-pan of the British Hong Kong hong Hutchison, better known as Hutchison Whampoa. He overstretched his finances, which resulted in HSBC taking over the firm, replacing Clague, and led to the sale of Hutchison Whampoa to Li Ka-Shing's Cheung Kong in 1979.

Clague was also one of the commandants of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force, and a member of both the Executive and the Legislative Councils of Hong Kong, when he succeeded Cedric Blaker on 21 March 1958. From 1950 to 1951 he was President of the Gunners Roll of Hong Kong.

Clague owned a lodge at Kam Tsin in the northern New Territories alongside many other wealthy people.

He was also a racehorse owner and one time chairman of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club; it was under his tenure that the Sha Tin Racecourse was developed. The Clague Garden Estate in Tsuen Wan is named for him, as he was also one of the longest serving chairmen of the Hong Kong Housing Society.

Personal

Clague was married to Lady Margaret Isolin Clague (née Cowley); they had three children (Jonathan, Penny and Isolin).

Sir John Douglas Clague died of cancer aged 64, in 1981. Lady Clague died in 2011.

Honours

United Kingdom :

Military Cross (MC) (1942)

Officer of the Military Division of Order of the British Empire (OBE) (1943)

Territorial Decoration (TD)

Commander of the Military Division of Order of the British Empire (CBE) (1946)

Justice of the Peace (JP) (1952)

Recipient of the Colonial Police Medal (CPM) (1966)

Recipient of the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) (1968)

Knight Bachelor (Kt) – Sir (1971)