Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Dixon Mayhew (2 October 1884 – 27 January 1954) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

industrialist,

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

officer and

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician. He was the son of

Horace Mayhew Horace Mayhew (20 June 1845 – 15 August 1926) of Broughton Hall, Flintshire, was a British mining engineer and colliery owner who founded the town of Broughton, Nova Scotia, now one of Canada's most famous ghost towns. He was the son of Joh ...

, of

Broughton Hall, Flintshire Broughton Hall was a large country house that was located in Broughton, Flintshire, Wales. It was demolished in the early 1970s and houses now exist on the site. The only indication of its existence is the main road through the village; Broughton ...

and his first wife Mary Helena Mayhew (née Dixon). He was educated at

King William's College King William's College (nicknamed KWC or King Bill's; gv, Colleish Ree Illiam) is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18, located near Castletown on the Isle of Man. It is a member of the International Baccalaureate and Headmasters' and ...

on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. He was an agriculturist and industrialist, with large landholdings and interests in a number of companies. In 1902 he was commissioned as an officer in the

Denbighshire Hussars The Denbighshire Hussars was a Welsh Yeomanry regiment of the British Army formed in 1794. It saw service in the First World War before being converted into a unit of the Royal Artillery. The lineage has been continued by 398 (Flint & Denbighshi ...

, a part-time

yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army Reserve, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of different military roles. History Origins In the 1790s, f ...

cavalry regiment. By 1913 he had been promoted to the rank of major. When the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out in 1914 the regiment was mobilised, and saw service on the western Front. The Denbighshire Hussars were converted to

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

as the 24th Battalion,

Royal Welsh Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated ...

. Mayhew was wounded in action but stayed in active service, and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1918. After the war he acquired Clayton Priory near Burgess Hill in Sussex, and took an active interest of the farming of the estate. He subsequently moved to Newton Hall,

Great Dunmow Great Dunmow is a historic market town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is situated on the north of the A120 road, approximately midway between Bishop's Stortford and Braintree, five miles east of London Stans ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

. A Unionist in politics, Mayhew was selected by the

to contest the Essex constituency of Harwich at the 1929 general election, but failed to be elected. Two years later a National Government of which the Conservatives were part, was formed. A general election was called and Mayhew was selected to be the Conservative and Government candidate at East Ham North. The government won a large majority and Mayhew was elected to the

Commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons c ...

, unseating the Labour Party MP, Susan Lawrence. He was re-elected at the 1935 general election. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Mayhew acted as an army welfare officer, and he was knighted in 1945. He attempted to defend his parliamentary seat at

1945 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1945. Africa * 1945 South-West African legislative election Asia * 1945 Indian general election Australia * 1945 Fremantle by-election Europe * 1945 Albanian parliamentary election * 1945 Bulgarian ...

, but was heavily defeated as the Labour Party won a landslide victory. His opponent, Percy Daines, gained a majority of more than 10,000 votes. Mayhew married Guendolen Gurney, of Blaenau Hall,

Merionethshire , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

in 1907. They had two sons, and she died in 1946. In 1950 his oldest son, John de Parigault Gurney Mayhew, issued divorce proceedings against his wife. He alleged that she had committed

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

with his father on a number of occasions between 1947 and 1949, and Sir John was forced to give testimony. His evidence was accepted and costs were awarded against his son. Mayhew died suddenly in January 1954, aged 69.

References

External links

Hansard 1803–2005
Contributions in Parliament by Sir John Mayhew {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayhew, John Dixon 1884 births 1954 deaths People educated at King William's College Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1931–1935 Denbighshire Hussars officers People from Broughton, Flintshire People from Burgess Hill People from Great Dunmow