Born in 1891 at Thebarton, South Australia, Clarence "Clarrie" Campbell was 23 when he joined the Australian Imperial Force, and served in Gallipoli from 1914-1916. He returned to Australia in 1916 and campaigned against the Conscription movement. He became an Industrial Chemist and founded two companies, United Lubricants Pty Ltd and Australian Bitumen Company Ltd. He was active in the Australia-India Association and Australia-Indonesia Association. His involvement with the Indian Seamen's Club in Sydney engaged him in trade union activities as Treasurer and executive officer of the Indian Seamen's Union in Australia. Campbell was a member of the Communist Party of Australia and was NSW Endorsed Labor Candidate in 1940. From 1946-47, he was appointed Indonesian Trade Commissioner in Australia. A supporter of the Indonesian independence movement Campbell founded Asian Airlines with another activist and businessman, Kenneth Frederick Wong in 1947. When Wong died in 1948, Campbell moved permanently to Singapore where he died in 1972.