Sir Edward Grimwood Mears (21 January 1869 - 20 May 1963) is best known for his role as secretary of the

Dardanelles Commission The Dardanelles Commission was an investigation into the disastrous 1915 Dardanelles Campaign. It was set up under the Special Commissions (Dardanelles and Mesopotamia) Act 1916. The final report of the commission, issued in 1919, found major pr ...

, for which he received a knighthood, and his later role as a British Chief Justice of the

High Court of Judicature at Allahabad Allahabad High Court, also known as High Court of Judicature at Allahabad is the high court based in Prayagraj that has jurisdiction over the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was established on 17 March 1866, making it one of the oldest high ...

, India. In 1895, he was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

. He later gave up his practice at the bar to at first work on the

Committee on Alleged German Outrages The Committee on Alleged German Outrages, often called the Bryce Report after its chair, Viscount James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce, James Bryce (1838–1922), is best known for producing the "Report of the Committee on Alleged German Outrages," pub ...

, which looked at the 1914-15 German atrocities in Belgium and then the Royal Commission on the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

in Ireland.

Early life and family

Edward Grimwood Mears was born on 21 January 1869, the only son of William Mears of Winchester. He graduated from Exeter College, University of Oxford, in 1893 and two years later was

at the

. In 1896, he married Annie, daughter of G. P. Jacob of Bryngoleu, Shawford. They had a son, Brigadier-General Gerald Grimwood Mears and a daughter, Isabel, whose son was the noted gastroenterologist,

Alex Paton Alexander Paton (13 August 1869 – 1935) was a Scottish footballer who played in the Football League for Bolton Wanderers in the 1890s as a right half; he featured for the club over 200 times in the league, as well as on the losing side in the ...

. After the death of his wife Annie in 1943, Mears in 1951 married her cousin,

Margaret Tempest Margaret Mary Tempest (1892–1982) was a British illustrator and author, best known for her illustrations of Alison Uttley's Little Grey Rabbit books. Life Margaret Tempest was born at 2 Fonnereau Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, in 1892. She lived mos ...

, an author and illustrator of children's books.

First World War

At the request of the British government, Mears gave up his practice at the bar to work on the Bryce Commission, also known as the

, which looked at the 1914-15 German atrocities in Belgium. In 1916, he was appointed secretary to the Royal Commission on the

in Ireland. He contributed to the reply to ''

The German White Book ''The German White Book'' (german: Das Deutsche Weißbuch) was a publication by the German government of 1914 documenting their claims for the causes of World War I. B.W. Huebsch, ''The German Army in Belgium: The White Book of May 1915'' (1921). ...

''. He was appointed secretary of the

, and in return received a knighthood. In 1918, he was Lord Reading's assistant on a trip to Washington, when he represented Britain on the inter-allied cereal committee.

High Court of Judicature at Allahabad

In 1919, Mears was appointed Chief Justice of the

, India. He despised

Indian nationalism Indian nationalism is an instance of territorial nationalism, which is inclusive of all of the people of India, despite their diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds. Indian nationalism can trace roots to pre-colonial India, b ...

and during his time in Allahabad, he tried to persuade

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

to become education minister for the British government in India. In India, Mears acted as an intermediary between

Irwin Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango County, Pe ...

and key leaders in the Indian National Congress. He

ears An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists o ...

was reported to have informed Irwin, of his discussion about India's request for

Dominion status The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

at one meeting with Motilal Nehru on 24 March 1929, at the residence of

Tej Bahadur Sapru Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru (8 December 1875 20 January 1949) was an Indian freedom fighter, lawyer, and politician. He was a key figure in India's struggle for independence, helping draft the Indian Constitution. He was the leader of the Liberal pa ...

. It was subsequently at Mears' suggestion to Irwin that a round table conference should be convened to discuss the request.

Publications

"A reply to the German white book on the conduct of the German troops in Belgium"
(1916)

References

External links

CHAR 2/97 Public and political: correspondence of 1917 concerning the Dardanelles Commission of Inquiry
Churchill Archive
Dardanelles 1916-19
British History Online
To deposit the cremated remains of Sir Grimwood Mears, in the closed churchyard, with no memorial stone
National Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Mears, Grimwood 1869 births 1963 deaths Chief Justices of the High Courts of India Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford English knights 20th-century English judges English barristers English justices of the peace Knights Bachelor Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire British people in colonial India Judges in British India