[1] Born in Southern Rhodesia, in 1917,[2] Clague arrived in Hong Kong in 1940 as a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, and on the outbreak of World War II became a prisoner in the Sham Shui Po PoW camp.

He overstretched his finances, which resulted in HSBC taking over the firm, replacing Clague, and led to the sale of Hutchison Whampoa to Li Ka-Shing's Cheung Kong in 1979.

[6] Clague owned a lodge at Kam Tsin in the northern New Territories alongside many other wealthy people.

[7] He was also a racehorse owner and one time chairman of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club; it was under his tenure that the Sha Tin Racecourse was developed.

The Clague Garden Estate in Tsuen Wan is named for him,[8] as he was also one of the longest serving chairmen of the Hong Kong Housing Society.