The son of a clergyman, Commander Victor Clarck was educated at Haileybury and served for 27 years in the Royal Navy. His war service ended in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp, but previuosly he had served in the destroyer PUNJABI at the battle of Narvik, where he won the D.S.C.; commanded the destroyer ANTHONY in th Atlantic; served in H.M.S. RPULSE during the chase of the BISMARCK and when the REPULSE was sunk off Singapore; won a bar to the D.S.C. for organanizing commando raids behind the Japanese lines in Malaya.
Commander Clark retired from the navy in July 1953 and two months later set out from Lymington in his 33-foot ketch, SOLACE. His voyage of 48,000 miles is believed to be the longest ever made by such a small craft. At. St.Lucia het took on board a 16 - year - old islander, Stanley Mathurin, who remained with him until Solace dropped anchor off Plymouth Hoe in August 1959, becomming the first coloured man to sail round the world in a two-man boat. Stanley is now serving in the Mechant Navy. ( )