Fife Clark

Sir Thomas Fife Clark (29 May 1907 - 29 March 1985) was a British journalist and civil servant. He was born at Thornaby-on-Tees, Yorkshire, the son of Thomas Fife Clark and Jane Nevison. On leaving Middlesbrough High School, he became a journalist with the chain of provincial newspapers owned by the Westminster Press and rose to be its Parliamentary correspondent. This experience of the Parliamentary Lobby led him in 1939 to be appointed a press officer in the public relations division of the Ministry of Health. In this job he had a role in promoting diphtheria immunization and in preparing the ground for the National Health Service.

In 1945 he married Joan (1915 - 1977) daughter of Ethel and Captain James Mould (Military Cross Distinguished Service Order) and they had two sons and a daughter.

Sir Fife Clark served as Downing Street Press Secretary, between 1952 and 1955, under Prime Minister Winston Churchill.^[1] As the press officer on duty he went in to tell Winston Churchill personally of the death of Joseph Stalin when the news came through on the wire. He served as Director General of the Central Office of Information for almost seventeen years (1954-71).^[2] In this role he produced long running campaigns for road safety and army recruitment as well as being in charge of the British Pavilions at the World Fairs.

Sir Fife Clark received a knighthood in 1965.^[2]

In 1971, Allen & Unwin published Sir Fife Clark's work, The Central Office of Information.^[1]

References[]

^ ^a ^b "Clark, Sir (Thomas) Fife, (29 May 1907–28 March 1985), retired; formerly Director General, Central Office of Information". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u162941. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
^ ^a ^b "Clark, Sir Thomas Fife (1907–1985), journalist and public relations expert". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/66850. Retrieved 2021-04-03.

Fife Clark

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