Sir Clifford George Jarrett

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

CB (10 December 1909 – 9 July 1995), was a British civil servant who held the position of

Permanent Secretary A permanent secretary is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are ...

in various Government departments in the 1960s.''The Daily Telegraph'', Obituary of Sir Clifford George Jarrett (14 July 1995).''The Times'', Obituary of Sir Clifford George Jarrett (19 July 1995).

Family and education

Jarrett was born in

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

to George Henry Jarrett, who ran a photographic business, and his wife Kate Ellen Elgar.''Who’s Who 2021 & Who Was Who'', Jarrett, Sir Clifford (George)
Retrieved 16 March 2021. While his father was away during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the family home in Dover was bombed and the Jarretts resided in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

from 1917 to 1919.Sir Clifford Jarrett, ''Reminiscences'' (December 1989)
Retrieved 16 March 2021.
Retrieved 16 March 2021. In 1920 Jarrett won a scholarship to Dover County School for Boys (now

Dover Grammar School for Boys Dover Grammar School for Boys (DGSB) is a selective secondary school located in Dover, United Kingdom, whose origins can be traced back to the Education Act 1902 (the 'Balfour Act'). Originally founded as the Dover County School for Boys and G ...

). After winning an open scholarship to

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College (historically known as "Sussex College" and today referred to informally as "Sidney") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1 ...

, he graduated in 1931 with a double first in the modern languages tripos. In 1933 he married Hilda Alice Goodchild, with whom he had one son and two daughters. After Hilda's death in 1975 he married Mary Evelyn Beacock in 1978.

Career

Jarrett entered the British

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

in 1932, joining the

Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...

before transferring to the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

two years later. He served as Private Secretary to successive Parliamentary Secretaries, Lord Stanley and Geoffrey Shakespeare, and from 1940 to 1944 was Private Secretary to the

First Lord of the Admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...

A. V. Alexander Albert Victor Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Hillsborough (1 May 1885 – 11 January 1965) was a British Labour and Co-operative politician. He was three times First Lord of the Admiralty, including during the Second World War, and then Minis ...

. He succeeded Sir John Lang as

Permanent Secretary of the Admiralty The Permanent Secretary of the Admiralty was the permanent secretary at the Admiralty, the department of state in Great Britain and subsequently the United Kingdom responsible for the administration of the Royal Navy. He was head of the Admiralty ...

in 1961, holding the office until the Admiralty was abolished in 1964 and its functions merged to form the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

. During this time he was also a

Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628 when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission. As that position was not always occupied, the purpose was to enable management of the day-to-day operational requi ...

. In 1964 Jarrett transferred to the

Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

as Permanent Under-Secretary, until it merged with the Ministry of Health to form the

Department of Health and Social Security The Department of Health and Social Security (commonly known as the DHSS) was a Ministry (government department), ministry of the Her Majesty's Government, British government in existence for twenty years from 1968 until 1988, and was headed b ...

, where, as Permanent Secretary from 1968 until his retirement in 1970, his relationship with the Minister,

Richard Crossman Richard Howard Stafford Crossman (15 December 1907 – 5 April 1974) was a British Labour Party politician. A university classics lecturer by profession, he was elected a Member of Parliament in 1945 and became a significant figure among the ...

, was not always easy.

Retirement

In 1971 Jarrett was appointed Chairman of the Dover Harbour Board, overseeing rapid expansion of the

Port of Dover The Port of Dover is a cross-channel ferry, cruise terminal, maritime cargo and marina facility situated in Dover, Kent, south-east England. It is the nearest English port to France, at just away, and is one of the world's busiest maritime pas ...

and growth in cross-Channel trade until he stepped down from the role in 1980. He was also Chairman of the Tobacco Research Council from 1971 to 1978 and a trustee of the

National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the Unit ...

from 1969 to 1981. In 1976 he retired to

Menston Menston is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Burley in Wharfedale, most of Menston is within Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of Bradford. The remainder of Me ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

, where he died at the age of 85.

Honours

Jarrett was made a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...

, a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(CB) in

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jarrett, Clifford 1909 births 1995 deaths Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Permanent Secretaries to the Admiralty Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath Lords of the Admiralty