John Norton-Griffiths
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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.
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.
[edit] Further reading
- 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
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Clarendon Hyde |
Member for Wednesbury 1910–1918 |
Succeeded by Alfred Short |
| Preceded by New constituency |
Member for Wandsworth Central 1918–1924 |
Succeeded by Sir Henry Jackson, Bt |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by New creation |
Baronet (of Wonham) 1922–1930 |
Succeeded by Peter Norton-Griffiths |
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