With great sadness, we mark the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Barbara Clarke. It is hard to convey the influence and importance of Barbara’s contribution to Defence during her 30 year career. Starting out in the Quality Assurance Directorate for Stores and Clothing before moving to Defence Clothing and, for the last 11 years, the Survivability Team in DE&S. She has influenced in some way almost every piece of clothing, protection and load carriage worn by our armed forces. The sheer variety is astounding, ranging from bear skins through to CBRN suits.
An internationally renowned specialist in textiles, body armour fitment, protection and load carriage, she has been instrumental in the advances in the full range of UK body armour systems from OSPREY Mk1 through to the latest iteration of the world leading VIRTUS; being formally recognised by the DE&S CEO on 2 occasions.
As secretary for the NATO team on body armour testing her influence extended beyond the UK: to our allies, academia and industry. Beyond her significant contribution to the armed forces, she was passionate about developing others; she acted as a STEM ambassador, touring the country to promote opportunities for young engineers and giving her free time to evaluate STEM competition entries from school children.
Barbara was always available to provide wise counsel, encouragement and answers to questions that no one else knew. Her passion, commitment and extraordinary personality will be sorely missed by all who knew her. She is survived by her husband, John, and son, Adam.
