Moubray St Andrew Thornton St John, 19th Baron St John of Bletso DL JP (5 November 1877 – 28 October 1934) was an English peer.

Life

St John was the second son of

Beauchamp St John, 17th Baron St John of Bletso Beauchamp Moubray St John, 17th Baron St John of Bletso (4 December 1844 – 10 May 1912) was an English peer. St John was born at Melchbourne, the second son of St Andrew St John, 15th Baron St John of Bletso and his wife Eleanor Hussey. He serv ...

and Helen Charlotte, née Thornton. He was educated at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

. Following the outbreak of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

he volunteered for service with the

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but su ...

, and served in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

from 1899 to 1902. He took part in operations in

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

in May and June 1900, including actions at

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

and

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

. In October 1900 he was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 1st battalion of the

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own ...

, stationed in South Africa, and the following year served in Transvaal, west of Pretoria. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 12 May 1902. He later served in

World War I 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 ...

, having rejoined the army in the Reserve of Officers, and in 1918 was a captain in the

Bedfordshire Regiment The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the World War ...

. In 1920, he inherited the title from his brother to become 18th Lord St John, and lived at Melchbourne Park. St John was a member of the Electoral Committee of the Houses of Parliament from 1925 to 1931. He was DL and JP for

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

. He died at 5 Ennismore Gardens, South Kensington on 28 October 1934 at the age of 57.

Family

St John married Evelyn Geraldine Russell, younger daughter of Captain Andrew Russell of Petersfield, in 1905 and after five daughters had a son and heir John. After his wife died he married again to Elizabeth May Sanford, widow of Colonel E C A Sanford, and daughter of Lloyd Griffith.

References

* Burke's Baronetage & Peerage * Memorial Plaques in Melchbourne Church, Melchbourne, Bedfordshire {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John of Bletso, Moubray St John, 19th Baron 1877 births 1934 deaths People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire King's Own Scottish Borderers officers Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I Deputy Lieutenants of Bedfordshire Moubray Barons St John of Bletso