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 and Helen Charlotte, née Thornton. He was educated at Wellington College. Following the outbreak of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

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 s ...

, and served in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

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; ...

in May and June 1900, including actions at

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

and

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

. In October 1900 he was commissioned a second lieutenant 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, Royal Highland Fusiliers ...

, 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 Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 12 May 1902. He later served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

. 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 John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. 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 19