James Grierson

Lieutenant General Sir James Moncrieff Grierson KCB, CMG, CVO, ADC (27 January 1859 – 17 August 1914) was a British soldier.

Biography

In the Army Manoeuvres of 1912, he decisively beat Douglas Haig, despite Haig having the odds in his favour.

In the Army Manoeuvres of 1913, Grierson acted as Chief of the General Staff (CGS) for Sir John French. Douglas Haig noted in his diary, "Sir John French's instructions for moving along the front of his enemy (then halted on a fortified position) and subsequently attacking the latter's distant flank, were of such an unpractical nature that his Chief of the General Staff demurred. Some slight modifications in the orders were permitted, but Grierson ceased to be his CGS on mobilization, and was very soon transferred to another appointment in the BEF." [Warner, Philip "Field-Marshal Earl Haig" (London: Bodley Head, 1991; Cassell, 2001) pp110–111]

Grierson died of an aneurism of the heart on a train, near Amiens at 7:00 a.m. on 17 August 1914. His replacement as commander of II Corps was Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien. Grierson's body was repatriated, a practice allowed at that time, and is buried in the Glasgow Necropolis in PRIMUS 38 with his sister, father and mother. These were full interments.

The Sir James Moncrieff Grierson prize for languages was later established at Sandhurst.

Medals and Orders

* Egyptian Medal, 1882, clasps for "Tel-el-Kabir" and "Suakin 1885"
* Medjedie, 5th Class
* Khedive's Star, 1882
* North-West Frontier Medal, clasp for "Hazara 1888"
* Knight of Grace, Order of St. John of Jerusalem
* Saxon Albrecht Order, 2nd Class
* Jubilee Medal, 1897
* Commemoration of Emperor William I Medal, 1897
* Royal Victorian Order, 4th Class (MVO), 1904 3rd Class (CVO)
* Prussian Crown Order, 2nd Class, with Star, 1904 Grand Cross
* Prussian Red Eagle, 2nd Class, 1904 with Star
* South African War Medal, clasps for "Cape Colony", "Driefontein", "Johannesburg", and "Diamond Hill"
* Companion of the Bath (CB), 1911 KCB
* China War Medal
* Companion of St. Michael and St. George (CMG)
* Coronation Medal, 1902
* Russian St. Anne Order, 2nd Class
* French Legion of Honour, Commander
* Coronation Medal, 1911
* Siamese Crown Order, Grand Cross 1911
* Siamese Coronation Medal, 1911
* Aide de Camp General to the King

Publications by Grierson

* "Notes on the Turkish Army" Simla 1882 (compiled for the Intelligence Branch, India)
* "A Vocabulary of the Arabic Language" Roorkee 1882
* "The War in Turkomania: Skobeleff's Campaign of 1880-81" Translated from the Russian of Major-General N. I. Grodekov. Simla 1884-85
* "The Armed Strength of Russia" Two editions: London 1886 and 1892 (compiled for the Intelligence Branch, London)
* "The Armed Strength of Japan" London 1886 (compiled for the Intelligence Branch, London)
* "The Armed Strength of the German Empire" Two editions: London 1888 and 1892 (compiled for the Intelligence Branch, London)
* "Staff Duties in the Field: With Notes by Lieut.-General H. Brackenbury" London 1891
* "Handbook of the Military Forces of Russia" London 1894 (compiled for the Intelligence Branch, London)
* "Umpiring at Field Manoeuvres as practised by various foreign armies" (Aldershot Military Society Lectures, No. 51) Aldershot 1894
* "Die heere und Flotten der Gegenwart II Gross-Britanien und Irland" The British Army. Berlin 1897
* "Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force, 1859–1908" Edinburgh and London 1909
* Military Papers and Articles, Translations, Reviews contributed to military journals both British and foreign, and to the daily press.

Family tree

Below is a family history of Sir James Moncrieff Grierson:

George Lyon of Garemount, Dumbartonshire, born 25 August 1793; died 21 February, 1872; married at Falkland, 14 June, 1825, Jane, daughter of Harry HOPE of Millfield, Fifeshire, and had 9 children:

(issue 3) ALLISON LYON, born 12th February, 1829; married, 31 March, 1858, GEORGE MONCRIEFF GRIERSON, (Merchant), Glasgow, 2nd son of the (Reverend) JAMES GRIERSON, Doctor of Divinity, (Minister) of Errol, & his wife, MARGARET MONCRIEFF. George died 4th February, 1896; issue (3) three sons and six daughters:

# (Lieutenant-General) James Moncrieff Grierson, born 27 January 1859; a large, polished-brass plaque is located in the Glasgow Cathedral, dedicated to his memory,
# (Captain) George Lyon Walker Grierson, of Royal Horse Artillery, born 6 February 1861; educated at Glasgow Academy and Woolwich; entered the Royal Artillery in 1880, served in the Afghan [istan] War of that year (medal) and in the Bikanir expedition; went to India in 1891 and died of cholera at Lucknow, India, 19 October, 1892; a polished-brass plaque is located in the Glasgow Cathedral, dedicated to his memory,
# Jane Hope Grierson, born 2 February 1863
# Margaret Moncrieff Grierson, born 14 March 1865
# ALLISON Mary Grierson, born 23 January 1867; married, 28 April 1897, THOMAS HARVEY, and has issue a son, THOMAS BARNETT HARVEY, born 11 September 1899
# David Alexander Grierson, born 13 December 1869; died 9 January 1870
# Mary Hope Walker Grierson, born 14 June 1871; married 12 June 1895, JOHN TRAIL CARGILL, and has issue a daughter, ALLISON HOPE CARGILL, born 13 August 1896
# Jessie Moncrieff Grierson, born 13 April 1873; died 3 June 1877
# Robina Constance Grierson, born 31 July 1874. [David Alan-MacGregor Grierson [http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/GRIERSON/2006-10/1160223746 RootsWeb: GRIERSON-L Compilations on Lyon, Walker,Grierson families of Scotland] ] [ [http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/GRIERSON/2006-10/1159734645 RootsWeb: GRIERSON-L David Alexander Grierson, & others] ]

Further reading

"The Life of Sir James Moncrieff Grierson" by D.S. Macdiarmid (London: Constable, 1923)

References

External links

* [http://www.firstworldwar.bham.ac.uk/donkey/grierson.htm Centre for First World War Studies]
* [http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/GRIERSON.shtml Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives]
*The [http://www.armynavyairforce.co.uk/army.htm Army Navy Air Force] site has a copyrighted photograph (you will need to scroll down to see it.)
* [http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/manuscripts/search/resultsn.cfm?NID=2772&RID= University of Glasgow Manuscripts Catalogue]
* [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/sstewart1873/Index/webpages/Picture%20Tour.htm Glasgow Cathedral Picture Tour]