John Maxwell (British Army officer)
| Sir John Maxwell | |
|---|---|
Staff officers at Sir John Maxwell's Headquarters: Maxwell is on the right
|
|
| Born |
11 July 1859 Liverpool, England |
| Died | 21 February 1929 (aged 69) Newlands, Cape Province, Union of South Africa |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1866–1921 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held |
Northern Command Commander-in-Chief, Ireland British Troops in Egypt 14th Brigade |
| Battles/wars |
Second Boer War First World War Easter Rising |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches Order of Osmanieh (Ottoman Empire) Grand Cross of the Order of the Nile (Egypt) Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (Italy) Grand Cross Order of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) |
General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell, GCB, KCMG, CVO, DSO, PC (11 July 1859 – 21 February 1929) was a British Army officer and colonial governor. He served in the Mahdist War in the Sudan, the Second Boer War, and in the First World War, but he is best known for ordering the execution of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland. He retired in 1922.
Maxwell was born at Aigburth, Liverpool, on 11 July 1859 to a family of Scottish Protestant heritage. He attended school at Cheltenham College, studied at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, from 1878, and was commissioned into the 42nd foot (Royal Highlanders) in 1879.
In 1882 Maxwell was part of Wolseley's expeditionary force to Egypt, he rose to captaincy and served with the famous Black Watch in the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882. For his part in the storming of the rebel fortifications at Tel-El-Kabir, he won his first decoration, medal and Khedive's star. He was first mentioned in despatches as an assistant provost-marshal and as camp commandant during his campaign with the Nile expedition in 1884 and 1885. He played an active role with the Egyptian frontier forces and won a Distinguished Service Order in the engagement at Giniss, he was also present in the battle at Bemazaih in 1888 where he was made brevet lieutenant colonel. He served in the Battle of Omdurman leading the 2nd Brigade. He personally led the march on the Khalifa's palace. In 1897 he was appointed Governor of Nubia and in 1898 was appointed Governor of Omdurman.
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