P. J. Grigg

The Right Honourable
Sir P. J. Grigg
Secretary of State for War
In office
22 February 1942 – 26 July 1945
Monarch George VI
Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Preceded by David Margesson
Succeeded by Jack Lawson
Personal details
Born 16 December 1890
Exmouth, Devon
Died 5 May 1964
Nationality British
Alma mater St John's College, Cambridge

Sir Percy James Grigg KCB, KCSI, PC (16 December 1890 – 5 May 1964), better known as Sir P. J. Grigg was a British civil servant who was unexpectedly moved from being the Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the War Office to become Secretary of State for War, the political head of the same department during the Second World War.

Background and education

The son of Frank Alfred Grigg, a carpenter, Grigg was born in Exmouth and won a scholarship to Bournemouth School and St John's College, Cambridge where he studied mathematics, achieving first-class honours in both parts of his tripos.

Career in civil service

In 1913 he achieved a first in the civil service examination and he served in the Treasury. During the First World War he served in the Royal Garrison Artillery. After the war he returned to the Treasury and in 1921 he became Principal Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, serving several successive Chancellors including Winston Churchill. He held this post until 1930 when he became Chairman of the Board of Customs and Excise and Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue. In 1939 Grigg became Permanent Under-Secretary of State for War and oversaw a turbulent department, which in 1940 witnessed no less than four different Secretaries of State (Leslie Hore-Belisha, Oliver Stanley, Anthony Eden and David Margesson).

Secretary of State for War

He proved an effective civil service head but it came as a great shock to many when in February 1942 Churchill dismissed Margesson and replaced him with Grigg – who had to convey the news to Margesson himself. Amongst the many Ministerial appointments made by Churchill from outside the sphere of Westminster politics, this was seen as one of the most unusual, but was a response to considerable military setbacks such as the loss of Singapore, and the need to appease critics by replacing some ministers. Grigg retained his post for the rest of the war, holding it also in Churchill's 1945 "Caretaker Government". In 1942 he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff East, beating Fenner Brockway. However in the 1945 general election he lost his seat and left public life.

Later life

In his later years Grigg held many directorships, including those of the Imperial Tobacco Company, the Prudential Assurance Company, the National Provincial Bank and the Distillers Company. In 1946, he became the first British executive director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He died in May 1964, aged 73.

Family

He married Gertrude Charlotte Hough, daughter of the Revd George Frederick Hough, in July 1919. The marriage was childless.

References

    External links

    Parliament of the United Kingdom
    Preceded by
    Owen Temple-Morris    		 Member of Parliament for Cardiff East
    1942–1945     		Succeeded by
    Hilary Marquand
    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Sir Herbert Creedy    		 Permanent Under-Secretary of State for War
    1939–1942     		Succeeded by
    Sir Frederick Bovenschen
    Sir Eric Speed
    Preceded by
    David Margesson    		 Secretary of State for War
    1942–1945     		Succeeded by
    Jack Lawson