A Nice Sort of Guy
Councillor Douglas Clark Mayor of Tottenham 1963-64 & Haringey 1972-73
The Man Douglas Clark was born on 28th March 19 and by 1939, aged 20 was living at 88 White Hart Lane in Tottenham, London. He was employed by the local authority as a Library Assistant and was also a Second (ARP) Warden number 2394 and Passage Room Supervisor within the building. Douglas showed an early interest in politics, and made his first speech in Tottenham Municipal Hall in 1939 appealing for funds for Spanish war orphans during the Spanish Civil War. He was also chairman of the Youth Peace Council, the youngest chairman of Tottenham PSA and a member of the Labour League of Youth. Following the outbreak of World War II Douglas saw service, but no detail is known, he was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Defence & War Medal 1939-45. During the third quarter of 1941, he married Gladys I Sydenham, known as Gaye, in Edmonton and by 1946 they were living at 26 Alexandria Road, Tottenham, in the Chesnuts Ward and Tottenham Green Lanes Electoral Division. They had one son born in 1942 and two daughters, one born in 1944 and the youngest in 1951. It was during 1944 that Douglas became more heavily involved with the Labour Party and politics, joining the party and two years later in 1946 entering the teaching profession via the emergency training scheme, started by the Government to increase teacher numbers following the war. He subsequently taught in Barking and Finchley and later at Winchmore School, Southgate and became an active member of the National Union of Teachers. During the same year he was returned unopposed to Middlesex County Council. In 1951 Douglas stood as the Labour Party Parliamentary Candidate for Wembley South, polling 18,546 votes (44.24% of the vote) but losing to the Conservative candidate Ronald Russell who polled 23,380 (55.75%) with a 4,834 majority.
On 8th May 1952, Douglas began a long career as a Councillor, being elected to the Tottenham Borough Council for three years representing Bruce Grove and Central Ward. During his first term of office he was appointed by Aneurin Bevan as a Governor of the Royal Cancer Hospital and Research Institute. He was also Governor of Tottenham Technical College, Chairman of the Public Libraries, Museum and Archives Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Education Committee. Libraries played a particularly important part in Douglas’ interests following his early life working in one locally. During 1955 Douglas again stood in a Parliamentary election in the newly formed Chigwell Constituency, polling 17,628 votes (47.5% of the vote), but losing once more to the Conservative candidate John Biggs-Davison who polled 19,503 (52.5%) with a majority of 1,875. Chigwell remained a Conservative seat in the Houses of Parliament until it was absorbed into Epping Forrest Constituency in 1974. Douglas stood for re-election as a Labour, Co-operative and Trade Union candidate in the local elections on 12th May 1955 having been nominated by the Green Lane Women’s Section West Green Co-Op Party, and again on 10th May 1956 this time for the Green Lanes Ward, having moved to the 173 Higham Road, Tottenham. He served on the Appeals, Lands & Planning, Libraries and Public Buildings, Local Archives, Arts and Civic Guild and Education Committees. During the municipal year of 1962-63 Douglas was elected as Deputy Mayor Tottenham, having won another election on 19th May and polling 814 votes, followed a year later on Thursday 23rd May 1963 as the 30th and penultimate Mayor of the Borough. During his formal inauguration his proposer, Alderman A Reed described Douglas as a ‘nice sort of guy, with forthright opinions who would serve the town well having already been instrumental in making Tottenham’s library service one of the best in the country’. The proposal was seconded by Councillor Mrs Sheila Berkery, a fellow schoolteacher, who referred to ‘the academic bench on the Council, consisting of several teachers, the NUT being the strongest union group represented in the Borough’. In response Douglas thanked the council for their support and said “a man had a one hundred thousand to one chance of becoming Mayor”. He promised ’a continuing approachability and encouragement for all spheres of activity in the town’. A year later in 1964 Douglas formally handed over the chain of office to his successor, the last Mayor of Tottenham, Councillor Archibald Protheroe, and was given a vote of thanks for his year in office by the council. In 1965, under the Local Government Act 1963, the Municipal Borough of Tottenham ceased to exist, and merged with Wood Green and Hornsey Borough Councils to become part of the larger London Borough of Haringey. The Tottenham neighbourhood is now one of twenty neighbourhoods in Haringey. Douglas remained a councillor polling 1509 votes in West Green Ward with Haringey becoming Labour controlled gaining 41 of the 60 seats on the new council. On 22nd May 1972 at the annual Haringey Borough Councillors meeting Douglas was elected as Mayor for a second term. However times had changed and this Mayor Making was highly charged and political, described in the press as “lurching to the left” and “a left wing coup d’état”, with many moderate labour Councillor ‘heads rolling’ in the reorganisation of committees and chairmanships. An interesting year lay ahead for Douglas, including the honour of he and Gaye receiving Her Majesty The Queen Mother when she visited Wood Green during 1972. Douglas continued serving on the council, and in February 1977 made a speech during a debate on Socialism and Democracy held at the Devonshire Hill Library and organised by the Wood Green Labour Party. During the speech which was reported in the press and he described as a veteran Councillor, he claimed that an astonishing poisonous atmosphere existed within the Tottenham Labour Party, cliques, recriminations against older members and people gunning for each other. Douglas’ speech was received with mocking laughter by some of those present. During 1977 he was also honoured to be awarded the Silver Jubilee Medal 1977, presumably as one of the longest serving Councillors, by then a total of 25 years, as the Mayor, Councillor Vic Garwood also received one. For relaxation Douglas enjoyed playing bridge, rose growing, ballroom dancing and corresponding abroad. He retired from civic life and moved to Taunton, Somerset and died during the last quarter of 1999 aged 80.
Past Mayors Roll of Honour Borough of Tottenham, Old Tottenham Town Hall.
Past Mayors of the London Borough of Harnigey
The Story The set of medals awarded to Douglas Clark were acquired from E-Bay on 11th February 2019. Attention was drawn to them because of the named Silver Jubilee Medal, and a check on the 1977 medal roll confirmed Douglas had been awarded the medal as a member of London Haringey Borough Council. Excitement rose as it was assumed Douglas had been awarded the medal as Mayor, however upon checking the Past Mayors of Haringey on the internet, it showed him as Mayor much earlier in 1972-73. In any event the medals appeared researchable, were bid upon and won. By coincidence a visit to London had been planned a few days later on 21st February 2019, so an initial telephone call to the Mayor’s Office at Haringey Borough Council started a chain of research events allowing a wealth of information on Douglas to become available. Firstly the Mayor’s Office very kindly sent photographs of the Past Mayors board within Haringey Civic Centre showing Douglas Clarks’ name, but sadly no mayoral portrait from that long ago. They also suggested that the local archives at Bruce Castle Museum in Tottenham may hold more information. In the meantime cursory searches on the internet revealed that Haringey Borough Council had been formed in 1965 from the former London Boroughs of Tottenham, Wood Green and Hornsey, and most importantly that Douglas had also been Mayor of Tottenham in 1963-64. A very positive response was also received from the Haringey Archive and Museum Service at Bruce Castle Museum, Lordship Lane in Tottenham, confirming they held several images of Douglas together with a studio portrait! An appointment was booked at the museum for Thursday 21st February.
The journey was an interesting one and involved the underground to Turnpike Lane on the Piccadilly Line, then catching a number 123 bus towards Ilford, and stopping very close to Bruce Castle Museum. It was also the first day of an unseasonably warm and sunny spell for the time of year making the whole experience so much more pleasant. Once inside Bruce Castle, which in itself is a museum within a museum, a large amount of photographs, paperwork and newspaper articles were made available and located from microfiche records with the assistance of very helpful staff. The crowning glory however was the production of a very large black and white portrait photograph of Douglas as Mayor of Tottenham, resplendent in his robes and chain of Office. It was explained this had been removed from the ‘old’ Tottenham Town Hall upon the merger back in the 1960s.
One of the photographs in the archives was of the past mayors board of Tottenham. It was suggested that the board may still be in the Town Hall, now a business centre on Approach Road. Directions were given as to how to get there by bus.
Following another interesting journey through central Tottenham the Town Hall was located and access allowed by explaining the interest in the research. The building is listed and had recently been refurbished, the inside was beautifully decorated and resplendent although no name boards were visible. Having given up on finding them it was decided just before leaving to take some photographs of the inside of the building as it was so unique, especially the staircase. As the staircase was climbed, there at the top on the wide landing was the past mayors name board having been fantastically refurbished and bearing the name of Douglas Clark. A great success and a real ‘icing on the cake’ moment. Finally the bus was taken again from Tottenham to High Road, Wood Green and Haringey Civic Centre visited, and photographs taken on their name board. A fantastic day spent researching one man who may have been forgotten had he not had his Silver Jubilee Medal 1977 named and as a result his biography is now preserved for posterity. Interestingly, after some further searching on ancestry.UK it was discovered Douglas had died in Taunton in 1999. Enquiries with the medal vendor revealed he had acquired them from an auction house in Taunton, thus further confirming the provenance. The one area it has not been possible to establish is Douglas’ war time service. He did serve as a Warden when aged 20 and working for the local library, thus the ARP badge is likely his, but no mention is made anywhere of what he did during the war. It is possible that as an ardent Socialist and given the highly charged political times in the 1960s-70s he chose to skirt over this in any press releases. However the 1939-45 Star, Defence and War Medal 1939-45 came with the Silver Jubilee 1977 medal and are therefore kept together as it is very possible they are his. It is hoped in time further research will prove it.
The journey was an interesting one and involved the underground to Turnpike Lane on the Piccadilly Line, then catching a number 123 bus towards Ilford, and stopping very close to Bruce Castle Museum. It was also the first day of an unseasonably warm and sunny spell for the time of year making the whole experience so much more pleasant. Once inside Bruce Castle, which in itself is a museum within a museum, a large amount of photographs, paperwork and newspaper articles were made available and located from microfiche records with the assistance of very helpful staff. The crowning glory however was the production of a very large black and white portrait photograph of Douglas as Mayor of Tottenham, resplendent in his robes and chain of Office. It was explained this had been removed from the ‘old’ Tottenham Town Hall upon the merger back in the 1960s.
One of the photographs in the archives was of the past mayors board of Tottenham. It was suggested that the board may still be in the Town Hall, now a business centre on Approach Road. Directions were given as to how to get there by bus.
Following another interesting journey through central Tottenham the Town Hall was located and access allowed by explaining the interest in the research. The building is listed and had recently been refurbished, the inside was beautifully decorated and resplendent although no name boards were visible. Having given up on finding them it was decided just before leaving to take some photographs of the inside of the building as it was so unique, especially the staircase. As the staircase was climbed, there at the top on the wide landing was the past mayors name board having been fantastically refurbished and bearing the name of Douglas Clark. A great success and a real ‘icing on the cake’ moment. Finally the bus was taken again from Tottenham to High Road, Wood Green and Haringey Civic Centre visited, and photographs taken on their name board. A fantastic day spent researching one man who may have been forgotten had he not had his Silver Jubilee Medal 1977 named and as a result his biography is now preserved for posterity. Interestingly, after some further searching on ancestry.UK it was discovered Douglas had died in Taunton in 1999. Enquiries with the medal vendor revealed he had acquired them from an auction house in Taunton, thus further confirming the provenance. The one area it has not been possible to establish is Douglas’ war time service. He did serve as a Warden when aged 20 and working for the local library, thus the ARP badge is likely his, but no mention is made anywhere of what he did during the war. It is possible that as an ardent Socialist and given the highly charged political times in the 1960s-70s he chose to skirt over this in any press releases. However the 1939-45 Star, Defence and War Medal 1939-45 came with the Silver Jubilee 1977 medal and are therefore kept together as it is very possible they are his. It is hoped in time further research will prove it.
The London Borough of Tottenham
Tottenham was granted a coat of arms on 13 September 1934.
The arms was: "Gules a saltire couped or on a chief indented of the last a helm sable between two billets azure each charged with an estoile of the second."
The crest was: "Issuant from a mural crown or a demi-lion gules supporting a seax (sword) argent pomelled and hilted or".
The supporters were: "On either side a lion reguardant gules gorged with a mural crown pendant therefrom by a chain or a roundel; the dexter ermine and the sinister or, charged with a maunch also gules.
The motto was: "Do well and doubt not".
Tottenham was granted a coat of arms on 13 September 1934.
The arms was: "Gules a saltire couped or on a chief indented of the last a helm sable between two billets azure each charged with an estoile of the second."
The crest was: "Issuant from a mural crown or a demi-lion gules supporting a seax (sword) argent pomelled and hilted or".
The supporters were: "On either side a lion reguardant gules gorged with a mural crown pendant therefrom by a chain or a roundel; the dexter ermine and the sinister or, charged with a maunch also gules.
The motto was: "Do well and doubt not".
The London Borough of Haringey
"Sable eight rays issuing from the fess point throughout Or and for the crest on a wreath of colours in front of a demi-sun in splendour or a demi cogwheel sable".
The coat of arms of the London Borough of Haringey is the official heraldic arms of the London Borough of Haringey. The arms were granted on 10 May 1965, after the mergers of the former Municipal Borough of Hornsey, the Municipal Borough of Wood Green and the Municipal Borough of Tottenham. Unlike most other London boroughs, it was decided not to create arms based on the charges in the coats of arms of the former boroughs.
The coat of arms are coloured black and gold, representing stability. The only charges on the escutcheon are eight lightning rays issuing from the centre of the shield. The rays are intended to "symbolise action reaching out to the boundaries of the borough", while also representing Alexandra Palace television station from which the first regular broadcasts in Britain began in 1936.
The crest, depicted on a helm above the shield, consists of a cogwheel for industry and a rising sun for the new borough.
The arms is used in the mayoral regalia of the borough. The mayoral chain has the heraldic achievement hanging in a badge made out of 18 k gold and enamel, with the text "The London Borough of Haringey MCMLXV". The chain has stylized H's and hares sitting within laurel wreaths. The hares represent the name of the borough, since Haringey is believed to mean "a meadow of Hares".
The borough has a simple badge described as "Eight Rays" [as in the arms]. A flag is used which looks like a banner of arms but with the tinctures reversed, so that it has eight black rays on a yellow field.
"Sable eight rays issuing from the fess point throughout Or and for the crest on a wreath of colours in front of a demi-sun in splendour or a demi cogwheel sable".
The coat of arms of the London Borough of Haringey is the official heraldic arms of the London Borough of Haringey. The arms were granted on 10 May 1965, after the mergers of the former Municipal Borough of Hornsey, the Municipal Borough of Wood Green and the Municipal Borough of Tottenham. Unlike most other London boroughs, it was decided not to create arms based on the charges in the coats of arms of the former boroughs.
The coat of arms are coloured black and gold, representing stability. The only charges on the escutcheon are eight lightning rays issuing from the centre of the shield. The rays are intended to "symbolise action reaching out to the boundaries of the borough", while also representing Alexandra Palace television station from which the first regular broadcasts in Britain began in 1936.
The crest, depicted on a helm above the shield, consists of a cogwheel for industry and a rising sun for the new borough.
The arms is used in the mayoral regalia of the borough. The mayoral chain has the heraldic achievement hanging in a badge made out of 18 k gold and enamel, with the text "The London Borough of Haringey MCMLXV". The chain has stylized H's and hares sitting within laurel wreaths. The hares represent the name of the borough, since Haringey is believed to mean "a meadow of Hares".
The borough has a simple badge described as "Eight Rays" [as in the arms]. A flag is used which looks like a banner of arms but with the tinctures reversed, so that it has eight black rays on a yellow field.
Douglas Clark in 1955, 1956 and 1975
Bruce Castle Museum & Archives, to whom thanks are extended for their assistance in piecing together Douglas Clark's biography.
Medal Details:
- 1939-45 Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- Silver Jubilee Medal 1977: DOUGLAS CLARK
This page last updated 14 Apr 19