His parents struggled to support themselves because his father, originally a clerk, had been invalided out of the services in the First World War and could seek only outdoor work.
Thoughts of emigration to Canada were thwarted by his father's early death and Clayton's mother had to make a meagre living as a dressmaker.
When the BBC resumed television service from Alexandra Palace after the war, GEC won the contract to implement the first link to another transmitter at Birmingham, based on Clayton's advanced proposal for a microwave radio relay.
At this point Arnold Weinstock took control of the vulnerable GEC and, with government encouragement, embarked on the rationalisation of the fragmented UK electrical industry.
Clayton continued in this role, while turning his attention from streamlining the overlapping activities of the acquired companies to future ventures.
Equally, others saw him as protecting the essential research and development activities and endeavouring to move GEC into areas of future growth—often against a company culture of short-termism.
On 2 April 1949 he married Joy Kathleen (c. 1925–1997), daughter of Allan McFarlane King, an electrician, and they moved to live at Stanmore.