Aubrey Alexander Maxwell Clark

Aubrey was born at home in Ampertain House, Upperlands, Co. Londonderry, on the 27th May 1925 to his parents, Alexander (Alec) and Dorothy..

He was educated at Oundle School, Northamptonshire, England and Campbell College, Belfast (which was relocated during the 2nd world war to the Northern Counties Hotel in Portrush, Co. Antirm). During the second world war, he served in the Gordon Highlanders and the Royal Army Ordnance Corp in Egypt as a second lieutenant.

Following the war he joined his family linen textile business, William Clark & Sons, in Upperlands. He was a member of the company and a director of a subsidiary company, Everbond Interlinings Ltd. Dating from 1730 the family business, William Clark & Sons, still in existence to this day and the oldest surviving linen company in the world, was a well established business supplying many of the world's bespoke tailors with traditional linen interlinings. In the 1960's, Aubrey persuaded the company to invest in manufacturing fusible interlinings, which was to be the future for the interlinings trade and the mainstay of the family business throughout the 1960's and1970's. Everbond became a leading supplier of fusiible interlinings in the UK and abroad, including to Marks & Spencers and Aquascutum. It was said that President Sadat of Egypt when assassinated was wearing his military uniform which had Everbond Interlinings inside!

Aubrey's job selling Everbond Interlinings, up until his retirement, frequently took him to the mainland and abroad to New Zealand in 1963 and 1965. On his sales trips "down under" he enjoyed having the opportunity to meet with his New Zealand Clark cousins in north Island. He got on so well with his cousins and loved NZ so much that he seriously considered emigrating - at that time both Australia and NZ were encouraging UK citizens to emigrate there, with an assisted passage for ten pounds. Unfortunately, his wife, Jill, was too much of a home bird and wouldn't entertain the idea.

Aubrey continued to work in the family business until the early 1970's, when he took early retirement following a major heart attack.

In 1947 he married Jillian Eleanor Mary (nee Swales), Jill (as she was known) came to Northern Ireland during the 2nd world war with her mother, Dorothy Swales and siblings, Elizabeth, Wandy, Staveley and Patrick. John, her eldest brother, was serving in the war. Jill, when she met Aubrey, was serving in the WRENS on board HMS Caroline in Belfast as a confidential book keeper.

Aubrey and Jiill lived at their home, Dunwillow, in Upperlands and had four children, Jane, April, John and Sally, The family frequently spent their holidays in the picturesque seaside village of Portballintrae on the north coast of Antrim. Eventually, they moved to live in Portballintrae, latterly at Bayhead House, overlooking Portballintrae bay. It wasn't until in 1976, following the death of Aubrey's mother, Dorothy, they moved back to Upperlands to live in the family home, Ampertain. Aubrey and Jill resided at Ampertain until it was sold in the mid-1980's. They moved to live in a much smaller and more manageable home, Ballyclough Farm, just outside Bushmills home to the world's oldest whiskey distillery. Aubrey continued to live there in retirement until his death in October 2012 after a prolonged illness. He is buried in the cemetary of the Dunluce Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, Bushmills. His wife, Jill, who passed away in April 2018, is also buried in the same cemetary.

John Clark Nov 2020