The Global Family of Clouston lost 19 members to the horrors of two World Wars, of these 5 came from the Tyneside family including the only female.
*** denotes members of the family who are known to be descendents of Thomas Clouston (1671-1754) and Marion Mowat (1681-1751) of Orkney. A part of the Tyneside family is descended from George Clouston (1788-1850) their great-grandson.
The Tyneside Family
***Angus Dixon Clouston (1916-1940) was aboard the S.S.Euphorbia (White Stag Line North Shields) when she left Milford Haven for Lynn, Massachusetts at the end of November 1940. She was sailing independently and was torpedoed in the North Atlantic by the U-100. In April 1941 U-100 became the first Uboat sunk using radar when she was caught snorkelling at night by HMS Walker and HMS Vanoc.
***Alfred Raymond Clouston (1922-42) was a Sergeant Pilot with 53 Squadron, Coastal Command. Flying Hudson AM803/V Alfred and his colleaugues F/Sgt D G S Corden, Sgt H Cliffe and F/Sgt G N Moore RCAF took off from North Coates on the night of 16/17 April on an anti-shipping sweep. The plane never returned and was believed shot down over the channel.
Doris Clouston (1924-44) was training as a nurse in London in 1944 when she was killed. She is the only known female casualty the family suffered
Doris's brother, Cpl John William Clouston (1916-1944) was serving in Northern France with 240 Field Coy, Royal Engineers when he was fatally wounded outside Caen on the 17th June 1944.
Angus's younger brother, ***Douglas Weldon Clouston (1922-1944) was drafted under the Merchant Navy Act as an engineer in 1943. He joined a famous ship, the Blue Funnell Lines 'Troilus' which was one of 6 ships to reach Malta on the 'Harpoon Convoy' in 1942. She was returning from the far east in August 1944 when she was torpedoed by U-859 off Aden with the loss of Douglas (the Fourth Engineer) and another member of the crew. 93 members of the crew and passengers were picked up by the escorts. 4 weeks later as U-859 reached her destination a British Submarine HMS Tranchant sank her
The Global Family
Private Alfred Clouston (1880-1917) 47th Battalion Australian Infantry A.E.F., was the son of James Robertson Clouston and Jane Laughton. Alfred was born in Orkney, his father took the family to Australia during the period 1901-10. Alfred was killed at Passchendeale in June 1917 and is buried Bailleul War Cemetery.
***Corporal Arthur Hamilton Clouston (1890-1917) was born in Canada, the son of Robert and Edith Clouston. Serving with the British Columbia Regiment he too was killed at Passchendeale, his name is listed on the Ypres Memorial.
***Lieutenant Edgar Boyd Clouston (1895-1917) 4th Company, Australian Machine Gun Corps. Was the son of the Reverend Thomas Edward Clouston and his second wife, Mary. Born in Glebe Point, Sydney New South Wales. He had just celebrated his 26th birthday in Paris when he was mortally wounded in the Passchendeale Salient. He is buried in the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery. Before the war he attended Sydney University and was training as a schoolmaster.
***Flt.Lt.Falcon Nelson Clouston D.F.C.,R.A.F. (1913-40), the son of Robert Edmund and Ruby Clouston of Upper Moutere, New Zealand. He is buried in the Sage War Cemetery, Oldenburg Northern Germany.Born Motueka Jan 1913; he joined the RAF Aug 1938; killed on air operations, 29 May 1940. (From New Zealander's with the RAF. 18 May) Flight Lt. F. N. Clouston was leading his Hurricane Sq. over the battle area when they encountered a swarm of Messerschmitts and a series of dogfights developed. Clouston saw a cloud of smoke and steam pour from the side of the first machine he attacked. The second dived into the edge of a small wood. He was posthumously awarded the DFC.
Private James Clouston (1896-1917) 1/6th Btn., Black Watch was also killed in the Passchendeale Salient. He was the son of Robert and Penelope Clouston of Glasgow, native of Coupar Angus. He is buried in Gwalia, Belgium.
***Cdr. J. Campbell Clouston R.N. (1900-40) The eldest son of William Stewart and Evelyn Clouston of Canada, husband of Gwyneth. With his ship (HMS Isis) in dry dock Campbell volunteered to go to Dunkirk with the Naval party to assist with the evacuation of troops in 1940. Returning to Dunkirk on the 2nd June after a planning meeting at Dover the two launches where attacked by several JU 87's and the launch carrying Campbell was sunk. He is buried in the Becklingen, Soltau, Germany.
His younger brother ***Lt. John 'Jack' Douglas Clouston R.C.N.V.R.(1910-1942). At the time the codebreakers at Bletchly Park lost their access to the uboat cypher 'Shark' there were two important convoys heading to Britain from Canada, and an empty convoy returning to Canada. The Germans targeted 40 uboats onto the convoys and the codebreakers used the contact signals to break back into 'Shark'. HMS Loosestrife was one of the escorts for the empty convoy and in the storm that surrounded the proceedings the uboats fell on this convoy. Jack was believed lost overboard in the storm. Winston Churchill later called the action 'the turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic' as the escorts and Bletchley eventually sunk or damaged 11 of the uboats.
Sapper James George Clouston R.E., (1897-1941) was the son of James and Emily Ann Clouston. He is buried in the Ramleh Cemetery Palestine and is from the London family of Clouston.
Sqn. Ldr. John Greville Clouston RNZAF (1919-45), is buried in the Nantes Cemetery, France. He was the son of Allan and Violet Clouston fo Wellington, New Zealand.
Sgt Murns Sydney Clouston (1918-44) New Brunswick Regiment of Canada. Murns lost his life on the 6th June 1944 and is buried in the Beny-sur-mere Cemetery. The 'New Brunswick's' landed on Juno Beach and spent the day in Street fighting around St. Aubin before the town was secured in the early evening. In the 3 months from D-Day the New Brunswickers lost approximately 850 men of the original 950. Murns was the son of James and Francis Clouston of Bathurst.
F.O. Ross Cuthbert Clouston R.C.A.F. (1922-44) was a Navigator with 626 Sqn. The son of Charles and Esther Cluston of Ontario. He is buried in the Riechswald War Cemetery, Germany.
***Cpl. Rudolf Haakon Stewart Clouston R.A.S.C. (1913-44) is buried in the Yaba Cemetery, Nigeria. His parents were John and Elsie Clouston of Luton. He was the grandson of the Rev. Charles Clouston of Orkney.
Pvt. William Clouston (1916-44) 13th Bttn. Parachute Regt (AAC). Was the son of James and Marion Clouston of Coalsnaughton, Scotland. He is buried in the Ransville War cemetery and was killed on the 9th June 1944.
Sgt. Warwick Ashling Clouston RNZAF (1921-42), son of Douglas and Kathleen Clouston of New Zealand. He is buried at the Scottow Cemetery in Norfolk.