Cliff was born and grew up in Erdington. Apart from time spent doing his National Service in the RAF, his working career was with Fosters Brothers. Cliff took early retirement and settled in Torpoint in 1985. A friend he made in his new hometown encouraged him to join the Torpoint and Rame Peninsula Old Cornwall Society (TROCS) and also to research the Graves family who had an association with Thanckes House, Torpoint. Cliff also joined the Cornwall Family History Society (CFHS) and responded to the Society’s appeal for volunteers. It was therefore not surprising that when Torpoint Archives (TAHC)was founded in 1994, Cliff joined its team of volunteers. In later years he became a member of the Rame Peninsula Local History Group.
Before retiring Cliff had never done any research or even shown particular interest in his own family history. Within a few years he became a most experienced volunteer and researcher and regularly wrote articles for CFHS Journals, TAHC Newsletters and delivered many amusing talks to local groups including TROCS. He served on TROCS Committee from 1989 and was considered to be an “honorary Cornishman” when he became its Chairman from 1999 until 2002. For his services to CFHS, Cliff was made a Fellow of the Society in 2009.
Cliff was an active volunteer until lockdown, and he celebrated his 90th birthday in February 2020 with his Torpoint friends in the Torpoint Archives and Heritage Centre, The Library and Community Hub. Cliff’s health deteriorated and in May he moved into a retirement home where he died peacefully on December 23rd 2020. He will be missed by his family and friends but has left a legacy in the form of his research files including detailed histories of the Graves family, The Inns of Torpoint, The Workhouse, Law and Order in the Rame Peninsula, Smuggling, Commander Pollard RN (Nelson’s Avenger) and Naval Records pertaining to Torpoint. All these records may be viewed at TAHC.