John_Christopher_Willoughby_Vanity_Fair_6_September_1884

Sir John Christopher Willoughby, 5th Baronet DSO (20 February 1859 – 16 April 1918) was a British army officer, Justice of the Peace for Oxfordshire, and landowner of properties in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. After education at Eton and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, John Christopher Willoughby became in 1879 a lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion Oxford Light Infantry. He became a 2nd lieutenant in the 6th Dragoon Guards and entered the Royal Horse Guards in 1880. He served in the

Egyptian campaign The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the pr ...

in 1882 (awarded medal with clasp, and bronze star), in the Nile expedition in 1884–1885 (mentioned in despatches), and with the British South Africa Company's Force in Matabeleland in 1893. In South Africa in 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 South ...

from 1899 to 1900 he was present with Cavalry Headquarter Staff during the

siege of Ladysmith The siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 2 November 1899 and 28 February 1900 at Ladysmith, Natal. Background As war with the Boer republics appeared likely in June 1899, the War Offic ...

and at the

relief of Mafeking The siege of Mafeking was a 217-day siege battle for the town of Mafeking (now called Mafikeng) in South Africa during the Second Boer War from October 1899 to May 1900. The siege received considerable attention as Lord Edward Cecil, the son of ...

was appointed major, under General Hunter, in charge of Transport of Flying Column (mentioned in despatches and awarded a medal). Willoughby 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 ...

from 1914 to 1917 and was awarded DSO in 1917. He was ultimately major in command of the 1st Motor Battery of the Army Service Corps before his death aged 59 in April 1918. He was buried in

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...

, London.

Jameson Raid

In 1884 gold was discovered in the Transvaal. By the end of 1895 within the Transvaal there were approximately 60,000 non-Boer European men (mostly British and some with their families) and 30,000 male Boers. On 29 December 1895, the British South Africa Company sent an armed force of about 600 men, in 2 mounted columns, into the Transvaal against the

South African Republic The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...

, which retained sovereignty from 1852 to 1902. The incursion is known in history as the

Jameson raid The Jameson Raid (29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896) was a botched raid against the South African Republic (commonly known as the Transvaal) carried out by British colonial administrator Leander Starr Jameson, under the employment of Cecil ...

(under the command of

Leander Starr Jameson Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet, (9 February 1853 – 26 November 1917), was a British colonial politician, who was best known for his involvement in the ill-fated Jameson Raid. Early life and family He was born on 9 February 1853, o ...

). John Christopher Willoughby was second in command and took command of the expedition when the two columns united northwest of Johannesburg on 30 December. The Jameson raiders skirmished against Boer resistance on 1 January and the next day were defeated and surrendered after losing approximately 30 men. The captured raiders were taken to Pretoria and jailed. The Boers later gave custody of the prisoners to the British for trial in London. Jameson was sentenced to 15 months and Willoughby was sentenced to 10 months.

Baronetcy

He became, at age seven, the 5th Baronet of Baldon House in 1866, upon the death of his father,

Sir John Willoughby, 4th Baronet Sir John Pollard Willoughby, 4th Baronet (21 April 1799 – 15 September 1866) was a British Conservative politician and civil servant. Early life and family Born at Baldon House, Oxfordshire, Willoughby was the son of Christopher Willoughby, ...

. The baronetcy became extinct in 1918 upon his own death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willoughby, John Christopher 1859 births 1918 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain English landowners Royal Army Service Corps officers British military personnel killed in World War I Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry officers Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) officers Royal Horse Guards officers British Army personnel of World War I 19th-century British businesspeople