William Hugh Griffiths, Baron Griffiths, MC, PC (26 September 1923 – 30 May 2015) was a British soldier, cricketer, barrister, judge and life peer. The son of Sir Hugh Griffiths, he was educated at

Charterhouse School Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...

and

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he served in the Welsh Guards, receiving a

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

in 1944 for an action in which he disarmed a German tank. Griffiths was called to the Bar,

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 association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1949, and became a

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1964. From 1962 to 1964, he was Recorder of

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

, and from 1964 to 1970 of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. In 1971, Griffiths was knighted and was made Judge of the High Court of Justice, Queen's Bench Division, a post he held until 1980. Between 1980 and 1985, he was

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Just ...

, and between 1985 and 1993 Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, and was created, on 23 May 1985, a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

with the title Baron Griffiths, of Govilon, in the County of Gwent on his appointment. Griffiths married three times: first Evelyn Krefting in 1949; and after her death in 1998 he married Heather Renwick Brigstocke, the former High Mistress of St Paul's Girls' School, on 22 January 2000. She was killed in a car accident in 2004. She had been created Baroness Brigstocke in 1990; they were one of the few couples who both held titles in their own right. In July 2009, he married Greta Fenston. He had four children by his first wife: three daughters and one son. He died on 30 May 2015 at the age of 91.

Other

Griffiths holds the unique distinction of having been both president of

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

and captain of

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is one of the oldest golf clubs in the world. It is a private members-only club based in St Andrews in Scotland. It was previously known colloquially as "The R&A", but in 2004, a new organisation kn ...

.''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', 2016 edition, p217. In cricket, Griffiths was a fast bowler. At Cambridge University, he won

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

for cricket in 1946, 1947, and 1948, recording career-best figures of 6 for 129 against Lancashire in 1946. He also made eight appearances in the County Championship for

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

, taking 4 for 61 against Surrey on his debut in 1946.Profile
cricketarchive.com; accessed 1 June 2015. In all, he played 38 first-class matches, taking 102 wickets at an average of 31.47.

Sources

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffiths, Hugh Griffiths, Baron 1923 births 2015 deaths Knights Bachelor Law lords Crossbench life peers Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Charterhouse School Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Members of the Inner Temple British barristers English cricketers of 1946 to 1968 20th-century English sportsmen British Army personnel of World War II Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club Welsh Guards officers Recipients of the Military Cross Free Foresters cricketers Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Cambridge University cricketers Glamorgan cricketers Spouses of life peers Place of birth missing Place of death missing