Shaw Clifton (born 21 September 1945) is a former General of The Salvation Army. He succeeded John Larsson as the 18th General on 2 April 2006. Career Shaw Clifton was born on 21 September 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Clifton was commissioned as an officer of The Salvation Army on 5 July 1973. His first appointment was to Burnt Oak Corps (London), in the British Territory in July 1973. He went briefly to continue his theological studies at International Headquarters (IHQ) in October 1973, before being appointed in January 1975 with his wife, Helen, to Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia), initially to the Mazowe Secondary School and then to Bulawayo as corps officers. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1979 to take charge of Enfield Corps, North London. In June 1982 he became the legal and parliamentary secretary at International Headquarters (IHQ). This was followed by an appointment in 1989 to Bromley Corps in South London. In May 1992 he became Divisional Commander in the Durham and Tees Division of the United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland. He served in that post until 1995. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and appointed Divisional Commander in the Massachusetts Division of the USA Eastern Territory for two years. He was appointed as Territorial Commander of the Pakistan Territory of The Salvation Army in 1997 with the rank of Colonel, later promoted to the rank of Commissioner while still in Pakistan where the work of the Army prospered during his service there. In 2002, he became Territorial Commander of the New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory. In 2004, he was returned to the United Kingdom territory this time as Territorial Commander until, at the Army's 16th High Council held at Sunbury Court, Sunbury-on-Thames, London, he became General-elect of The Salvation Army on 28 January 2006, taking office in succession to General John Larsson on 2 April 2006. He served a five-year term, entering retirement in 2011. He married Commissioner Helen Clifton (née Ashman), who was born in 1948 in Edmonton, London, on 15 July 1967. They have three children. Commissioner Helen Clifton was world president of women's ministries and was a Salvation Army officer from 1973. In 1984 they jointly edited a book, Growing Together, about marriage and family life. On 13 September 2007, Clifton became a Freeman of the City of London. Clifton and his wife retired in April