Sir John Norton-Griffiths, 1st Baronet

Colonel Sir John Norton-Griffiths, 1st Baronet KCB DSO (13 July 1871 – 27 September 1930), known as "Empire Jack" or sometimes "Hell-fire Jack," was a British soldier in World War I.

John Norton-Griffiths was born in Somerset on 13 July 1871, the son of John Griffiths. He had 'an unsettled youth and left home at the age of 17 to wander to the other side of the world' according to his obituary in "The Times".Obituary: Sir John Norton-Griffiths. "The Times", Monday, 29 September 1930 (p14, Issue 45630, col B).] Prior to the outbreak of the Boer War he begun to establish himself as an engineer in South Africa. He served in the Boer War, rising to captain and adjutant in Lord Roberts' Bodyguard. After the war he was awarded contracts to carry out major engiering projects in Africa and South America. [ [http://www.mining-journal.com/HTML/12-10-07.html Mineral Wealth of the Congo Free State.] "The Mining Journal," 12 October 1907.] These included work on the first 197km of the Benguela Railway in Angola between 1903 and 1908. He was elected to he British Parliament in 1910.

In 1914 at the start of World War I he raised the 2nd King Edward's Horse at his own expense and was commissioned Major in the regiment.Tony Bridgland and Anne Morgan (2003). "Tunnelmaster and Arsonist of the Great War: The Norton-Griffiths Story". Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-995-6] Using the experience from a successful engineering career, Norton-Griffiths built many fortifications for the Entente on the Western Front. An enigmatic figure, Norton-Griffiths took to touring the trenches in a battered Rolls-Royce loaded with crates of fine wines.

Perhaps his most-important contribution came when he was sent to sabotage the Romanian oil fields ahead of a German advance early in the war. Colonel Norton-Griffiths used such techniques as dumping cement down the wells, filling tanks with nails, and emptying storage wells and then setting them on fire. He was able, almost single-handedly, to destroy 70 refineries and 8,000 tons of crude oil. General Ludendorff of the German army was later quoted as saying, "We must attribute our shortages to him." German efforts later got some of the Romanian fields back online for the war effort, but they were never able to recover fully. This difficulty led to the priority of securing Romania as an ally of Hitler in World War II. He was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in 1918 (although he had temporarily also held the rank in 1916). He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1916.

Sir John was a keen supporter of football and was a director of Arsenal Football Club between 1928 and 1930.

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