James Grierson
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Lieutenant General Sir James Moncrieff Grierson KCB, CMG, CVO, ADC (27 January 1859 – 17 August 1914) was a British soldier.
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[edit] 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."[1]
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.
The Sir James Moncrieff Grierson prize for languages was later established at Sandhurst.
[edit] 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
[edit] 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.
[edit] Further reading
The Life of Sir James Moncrieff Grierson by D.S. Macdiarmid (London: Constable, 1923)
[edit] External links
- Centre for First World War Studies
- Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- The Army Navy Air Force site has a copyrighted photograph (you will need to scroll down to see it.)
- University of Glasgow Manuscripts Catalogue
