Vice Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone KBE CB

Vice Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone, who has died aged 60, participated in the largest British evacuation since Dunkirk, and was four years Commander, Allied Maritime Command.

Johnstone’s command in 2006-07 of the amphibious assault ship Bulwark demonstrated the flexibility and versatility of sea power. On her maiden deployment, with Royal Marines embarked, he took her for six months to the Indian Ocean, where she conducted counterterrorist and counter-pirate tasks in the Gulf of Aden, and then into the Gulf to provide security for Iraqi oil platforms against terrorist and Iranian threats. On passage home, Bulwark was off Barcelona and only a few days away from Plymouth, when on July 15 she was diverted to the eastern Mediterranean.

After an Israeli attempt to kill a Hamas leader in Gaza, Hezbollah had entered Israel from Lebanon, killing three Israeli soldiers and taking two hostage. In retaliation Israel bombarded Beirut airport and the northern roads into Syria and tens of thousands of non-combatants were trapped. Civilians were advised to lay low and wait for the Navy to arrive, and Operation Highbrow, involving British warships and helicopters, including Chinooks from Cyprus, was mounted to rescue them. The Foreign Office had established that some 5,000 people, mainly dual nationality citizens, were eligible for evacuation, and when the helicopter airlift proved too slow, and not knowing what danger came from the Israeli navy and from Muslim terrorists, Johnstone took Bulwark into the harbour. During what became the largest British evacuation by sea since Dunkirk, on July 20 she embarked some 1,300 people to ferry to Cyprus. Highbrow ended on July 22, when between 3,500 and 4,400 British citizens had been evacuated, but Bulwark stayed off the coast for a further four weeks at a high state of readiness.

Johnstone was made CBE and his operations officer Lieutenant Commander Chris Saunders was made MBE.

Clive Charles Carruthers Johnstone was born on September 6, 1963 in Kampala, Uganda into a family who served for generations in the Royal Navy and British Army. He was educated at Shrewsbury School and gained a naval bursary to read anthropology at Durham University. There he rowed for GB Juniors and competed as an under-23 international, but his rowing career was halted by severe injuries during a road accident.

His first ship was the fishery protection vessel Shetland, in the cold and stormy far reaches of the North Sea, where at first Johnstone was seasick, but soon recovered his interest in people and, typically, explored every corner of the ship, meeting and chatting with everyone on board, absorbing knowledge and rapidly becoming a hugely competent officer. His humour showed in his parody of Noël Coward’s In Which We Serve which he restyled as Cruel Sea Night.

He hated his next appointment as navigating officer of the minesweeper Nurton, under a bullying Queeg-like captain, while protecting and mentoring other more junior officers.

In 1996-97, he was first lieutenant of HMY Britannia in her final commission covering the Prince of Wales’ historic visit to Northern Ireland, the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, and HM the Queen’s summer cruise of the Western Isles.

Johnstone’s career progressed rapidly and in 1999 he commanded the frigate Iron Duke during the war in Kosovo. While Iron Duke patrolled the Adriatic in defence watches, six hours on and six hours off with her weapons ready, and escorted ships carrying humanitarian aid to refugees, some three-dozen of his people flew home for various reasons, including one man when his son became seriously ill with meningitis. Johnstone said, “If something comes up in one of the men’s lives that is important, then I will try to get him home … but it’s a bit different for the captain.” In the Channel, he himself left the ship on a Friday, Emile Louis was born at 16:30 on Monday, and Johnstone was back in Iron Duke by 19:00 that evening.

After commanding Bulwark, Johnstone was Director of Naval Staff at the Ministry of Defence, and then Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff. Promoted to flag officer, he became Flag Officer, Sea Training in 2011, Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy) in 2013, and Commander Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) in 2015, when he was also appointed CB.

At MARCOM, based at Northwood, Middlesex and reporting to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), Johnstone was the prime maritime advisor to NATO, showing himself to be clear-sighted, highly intelligent, impressive in delivery, and clearly understood NATO, its failings as well as its successes, and was admired by other nations.

With such talent and experience, it was a wonder to many that Johnstone did not go on to be First Sea Lord, but he was up against strong competition; instead, he was knighted KBE in 2019 and retired from the Navy in 2020. However, his contribution to society and in particular to the defence community had hardly begun.

His potential was seized upon by Sarah Kenny, CEO of BMT, a leading international company offering scientific, engineering and technical services and consultancy. BMT made him their director of strategy, where he brought a fresh approach to strategic planning, a dynamic flair for complex change programmes, as well as his wry sense of humour and a deep care for people.

His enduring interest in strategy was shown by his membership of the think tank RUSI and his work in the NATO advisory committee of the Bratislava-based Centre for Democracy and Resilience (GLOBSEC). As chairman of the Naval Review, he showed infectious enthusiasm, his total belief in his endeavours and his passionate advocacy for the many causes he believed in.

Admitted as a younger brother of Trinity House in 2009, he was engaged and supportive of the company’s initiative, jointly with Maritime UK, called the Maritime Leaders Forum and was preparing to be a panellist at the next conference ‘Maritime Trade in an Unstable World – Security for Mariners, Ships and Cargoes’ later this year.

As a new Shipwright, admitted in 2023, in a short time he became a highly regarded and popular member of the company.

Also in 2023, Johnstone became the national president of the Royal British Legion and last year he led the legion at its Remembrance Day ceremonies. This year he chaired the legion’s annual conference in Newport, Wales, sharing his passion for “the best and most amazing charity, but died shortly afterwards.

Johnstone was extraordinarily inspirational, his thoughts and actions characterised by his integrity, dynamism and piercing intellect, who was rarely flustered, and who was passionately interested in people. After university, he had advised undergraduates at Durham, and he retained an interest in mentoring in university programmes, elite sport, and business management. Speaking about leadership, he would say, “It’s people make the world go round, not technology.”

In 1990 Johnstone married the opera-singer Alison Duguid, whom he met at university, and he enjoyed above all spending time with his family at their cottage in Argyll: she survives him with their two daughters.

Vice Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone KBE CB, born September 6, 1963, died May 12. 2024.