Douglas Clague

Sir Douglas Clague CBE MC QPM CPM TD JP (13 June 1917 – 11 March 1981) was a British Hong Kong soldier and entrepreneur who spent most of his life in Hong Kong.[1]

The Honourable
Sir Douglas Clague
CBE MC QPM CPM TD JP
Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
In office
1956–1960
Unofficial Member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong
In office
1961–1974
Personal details
Born(1917-06-13)13 June 1917
South Rhodesia
Died11 March 1981(1981-03-11) (aged 63)
Berkshire, England

Early Years

Born in South Rhodesia, in 1917,[2] 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.[3] He later escaped, and joined the British Army Aid Group in free China.[1] On the ending of the war, he famously took the surrender of Japanese forces in Bangkok more or less single-handedly.[4]

Business Career and Involvements in Hong Kong

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.[5]

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.[6]

Clague owned a lodge at Kam Tsin in the northern New Territories alongside many other wealthy people.[7] He was also a racehorse owner and one time chairman of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club; it was under his tenure the Sha Tin Racecourse was developed. The Clague Garden Estate in Tsuen Wan is named for him,[8] 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).[9]

He died of cancer aged 64, in 1981;[10] Lady Clague died in 2011.[9]

References
  1. "The dawn of the Golden Age (mainly about money...) | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong". gwulo.com.
  2. "Hong Kong's ties with Zimbabwe: The past and the present EJINSIGHT - ejinsight.com". EJINSIGHT.
  3. HONG KONG: Trouble in the Hongs, Time magazine, 20 October 1975
  4. "China's Business Newspaper". The Standard. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  5. Stephen Vines, The Other Handover, Time magazine, 6 August 2005
  6. "Documents". Gunners Roll. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  7. "Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force : Silver Jubilee 1959-1984" (PDF). Ebook.lib.hku.hk. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  8. "Clague Garden Estate - Hong Kong Housing Society". www.hkhs.com.
  9. "CLAGUE, Lady Margaret : Death notice". The Irish Times. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  10. "John Douglas CLAGUE (aka Duggie) [1917-1981] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong". gwulo.com.
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