Cliff Walker was born on Antigua in 1941. In 1954, Cliff’s mother moved to the UK for work. Other families were making this journey and his mother hoped that it would bring her children new opportunities.
In order to bring Cliff and his sister to London, their mother worked two jobs to save up the money for their travel. She would work in the hospital during the day and work in a factory in the evenings. The following year Cliff and his sister travelled to Britain, and his sister started training as a nurse. When Cliff turned 17 he decided to join the RAF and commenced training. He says: “The adventurous side of me said, ‘Go and see the world,’ which is what I did.”
Cliff worked in the RAF’s General Office and the Accounts department and travelled the globe including to Germany, Singapore, Malaya and two significant tours to Cyprus. While there, with his wife and young family in 1974, tensions erupted and his family had to be evacuated back to the UK.
After 25 years of service Cliff retired from RAF regular service, and joined the MOD at RAF Cottesmore, working with military families, ensuring that they had everything that they needed, from housing to medical and mental health support. Cliff says that for many Black service personnel he was the ‘go-to man’. “Even if we were not on the same base, they would phone me up or they would write to me, and say there is a problem… I would fight their battle for them.” In recognition for his work in the RAF, Cliff was awarded a BEM (British Empire Medal).
On leaving the Royal Air Force Cliff moved his family to Peterborough where he became very involved with local community activities. He was a Magistrate, a member of the Board of Visitors at two local Prisons, a Non Executive Director of the NHS Hospital and Primary Care Boards, Chairman of a Housing Association and of the Caribbean Association in the city. Cliff was awarded an MBE and was made a Deputy to the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire for his community work. He was inspired by his mother, the huge sacrifice that she made in coming to Britain in 1954 and how hard she worked, whilst still finding time to help others. “Everything that comes out of me, stems from my mother.”