Sir John Norton-Griffiths, 1st Baronet
| Sir John Norton-Griffiths, Bt | |
|---|---|
John Norton-Griffiths
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "Empire Jack" or "Hell-fire Jack" |
| Born |
13 July 1871 Somerset, England, UK |
| Died | 27 September 1930 (aged 59) near Alexandria, Kingdom of Egypt |
| Buried at | Mickleham Church, Surrey |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
| Other work | Member of Parliament, Director of Arsenal Football Club, founding member of the Royal British Legion |
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Norton-Griffiths, 1st Baronet, KCB, DSO (13 July 1871 – 27 September 1930) was an engineer, British Army officer during the Second Boer War and the First World War, and a Member of Parliament.
John Norton-Griffiths was born John Griffiths in Somerset on 13 July 1871. He was the son of John Griffiths, a clerk of works at St Audries Manor Estate, West Quantoxhead. He had an unsettled youth and left home at the age of 17. After a generally wasted education he spent a year, in 1887–1888, as a trooper with the Life Guards. before travelling to the colony of Natal and shortly on to Transvaal, where he worked as a 'sub-manager' at a gold mine at the age of 17.
In 1896 on the outbreak of the Second Matabele War he joined Lieut.-Colonel Edwin Alderson's Mashonaland Field Force, then in 1897 was commissioned into the British South Africa Police. In the Second Boer War, he served briefly with Brabant's Horse, then as Captain Adjutant to Lord Roberts' bodyguard.
In 1901, Norton-Griffiths married Gwladys Wood. Together they had four children:
Sir John was a keen supporter of Liverpool football club and was a director of Arsenal Football Club between 1928 and 1930.
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