1. John Grigson was educated at StJohn Grigson's School, Leatherhead before joining the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as an Ordinary Seaman in February 1913.
17 Facts About John Grigson
1. 2.
John Grigson was serving aboard the armed merchant cruiser HMS India in the 10th Cruiser Squadron when the ship was sunk on 8 August 1915 and although he survived the loss news had not reached England before an announcement of his death appeared in The Times.
3.
John Grigson was confirmed in his rank as captain in December 1918.
4.
John Grigson had seen action in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Caspian, Egypt and Iraq.
5.
John Grigson was awarded the Distinguished Service Order on 12 July 1920, 'for gallant and distinguished service' in Southern Russia.
6.
John Grigson was awarded a Second Bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross on 28 October 1921.
7.
Still in Iraq, John Grigson was promoted squadron leader on 7 November 1928, and posted as the commanding officer of No 55 Squadron RAF on 21 March 1929, overseeing its ageing DH.
8.
From January 1930 John Grigson attended the Imperial Defence College which prepared senior officers for high command and following his twelve-month course joined the Air Staff.
9.
John Grigson served with RAF Air Defence Great Britain until appointed to command No 2 Station, Risalpur on 29 August 1935 having been promoted wing commander on 1 July 1935, Grigson returned to England in March 1937 for a period of leave and from 5 August 1937 briefly became staff officer at the RAF Directorate of Organisation before being appointed Maintenance Staff Officer at HQ Maintenance Command on 2 January 1938.
10.
John Grigson was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ No 202 Group RAF Egypt and promoted group captain on 1 January 1939,.
11.
John Grigson was promoted temporary air commodore on 1 December 1940, and appointed Air Officer Commanding, Royal Air Force units in Palestine, and Trans-Jordan and then to Air Staff, British Air Forces in Greece to carry out an aerial survey of the country and identify suitable airfield sites, he later took over as Air Officer Commanding, HQ Eastern Wing.
12.
John Grigson's official report on these operations is an official record and is very detailed.
13.
John Grigson was Mentioned in Despatches on 24 September 1941.
14.
The need for fully trained pilots, navigators, bomb aimers and air gunners was absolutely desperate at this stage of the war and John Grigson was next posted as Senior Air Staff Officer to the Rhodesian Air Training Group working within the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan to complete aircrew training in nations not currently on the frontline.
15.
John Grigson was killed on 3 July 1943 in the crash of North American Harvard Mark IIa of No 20 Service Flying Training School which crashed at Antelope Mine near Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia ; he was aged 50.
16.
John Grigson's name is recorded on the war memorial in the village of Wherwell, and St John's School, Leatherhead.
17.
John Grigson was the husband of Mary Isabel Grigson, of Ottershaw, Chertsey, Surrey.