at Stalag Luft III, and would return each anniversary to Poland to retrace the steps he took on the "Long March". Post-war service On 1 January 1947, Clarke transferred to the equipment branch as a flying officer with seniority on that rank from 1 March 1945. He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 25 February 1948. He was granted a permanent commission on 1 April 1952, thereby allowing him to serve in the RAF until retirement. As part of the half-yearly promotions, he was promoted to squadron leader on 1 January 1953, to wing commander on 1 July 1961, and to group captain on 1 January 1967. In addition to his Second World War service, he undertook a number of overseas postings. He served in Palestine during the 1947–1949 Palestine war, in Aden during the Aden Emergency and the British withdrawal in 1967, and in Malta. From 1967 to 1970, he was officer commanding RAF Stafford. He also had desk jobs at the Ministry of Aircraft Production, the Air Ministry, and at the Ministry of Defence. Clarke retired from the Royal Air Force in November 1978, with the rank of air commodore. Later life After retiring from the RAF, Clarke moved into business, including working as a director of the department store Debenhams. He maintained his links with the RAF through serving as President and Chair of the Royal Air Forces Ex-POW Association and as Chair of the Bomber Command Association. He was a leading figure in the campaign for a memorial to Bomber Command: one was eventually erected in 2012 in London's Green Park. In the 2007 New Year Honours, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "For services to the Royal Air Forces Ex-Prisoners of War Association". Personal life Clarke met his wife, Eileen (née Fosh), at a war-time dance. They married in November 1946, following his return from the war. Together they had a daughter, Naida: she is a former merchant banker who married Sir Gordon Duff. Clarke died on 7 May 2019, aged 95. References External links Clarke speaking to the BBC about The Great Escape International Bomber Command Centre Digital Archive: interviews and image 1923 births 2019 deaths British military personnel of the Aden Emergency British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency British World War II prisoners of war Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Tottenham